Did someone say the beaches are… REOPENED?! With all of this excitement escalating quickly, the one thing we need to remember is to put our sunscreen on! Read below for some interesting tips to help you get your tan on while keeping the burn away.
Do I Really Need Sunscreen?
YES, YES, YES! There are over 5 million skin cancer cases reported yearly. These include basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. These are all highly preventable with the simple use of sunscreen. At a minimum, you should be using SPF 30+ but any Floridian will recommend SPF 50+. Broad-spectrum sunscreen along with waterproof are big words to look out for when shopping for the perfect sunscreen. If you have little ones with you, getting a rash guard with built-in SPF will help protect their skin against the harmful UV rays. The biggest thing is taking preventative measures to keep yourself and your family safe.
Items to Bring
When packing your bags to hit the white sandy beaches there are a few key things you will need to bring with you. Besides the obvious sunscreen, you will need an umbrella, especially if you have young children, plenty of water, a hat, and chapstick with SPF of at least 15+. The key trick that most people forget is to reapply their sunscreen and chapstick every two hours. This includes if it is cloudy! A lot of people forget to reapply when there are clouds due to the fact that they don’t feel the sun beating down on them. This is when the sun does a sneak attack and you end up leaving burnt to a crisp.
Tricks in Case of a Burn
So what happens when you take all of the precautions we talked about but you still managed to get burned? Aloe. I cannot stress this enough. Aloe will take most of your pain away and keep you from blistering. As someone who has pretty fair skin, I learned that putting it in the fridge will help take the sting out just a little bit faster. Try to get the aloe that is free of dyes if possible. You can find this at any corner store like Walgreens or CVS. They are basically on every corner here in Florida. Some other things to help out with a rough sunburn are to take an oatmeal bath, use cold compresses, and avoid soaps and perfumes. Lavender also helps soothe the skin. This is a great alternative to an oatmeal bath.
Hopefully, some of these tips will help you prepare for your upcoming beach trips and if you are a frequent flyer at our beaches then hopefully you learned something new!