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A reminder from the Skin Cancer Foundation on the dangers of sunbed use. Sunbeds are not an answer to prepare your skin, or appearance as the weather changes.
Although not quite a heatwave, the sunshine we saw in mid April was welcome and brings thoughts of warmer times to come. A pleasure in many ways but temperature change can have an unwanted impact on your skin.
Skin diseases may develop, or worsen in persistently high temperatures, including heat rash and sunburn. Others may not need so much heat to be aggravated, such as eczema, or a range of conditions made worse by sweating.
Warmth tends to increase secretion of oil from our sebaceous glands, so sweat ducts can become inflamed, or obstructed. Salt residue from sweat can cause further inflammation and make issues from chafing worse.
Being Prepared
April may seem early to be making changes but not for everyone and the rest of can start to prepare. Being well stocked to increase sunscreen use will help, along with having a supply of looser clothing.
Keeping away from hot, or humid environments is of course rational if you have skin concerns but we can’t always do this. A good sun barrier and clothes which allow air to circulate more freely will help.
Keeping your skin dry and reducing friction are useful ways to allay symptoms of many conditions, along with having clean skin. Even so, too much dryness should be avoided, so extra neutral moisturising lotion may be required.
We can also start to plan practically, perhaps looking at a different way to travel, rather than walking, cycling, or running. No need to lose fitness but switching to a gym can make a difference to exposure.
Now is also a good time to check that ventilation systems and fans are working, or to replace them. Better than queuing when everyone else is.
An Individual Path
Some of us will naturally need to take greater care but even with fairly resilient skin, heat can bring spots, or breakouts of unwanted conditions.
Our bodies are not best served by heat and humidity, or helped by excess UV exposure, from a sunbed, or the sun itself. Neither is sunburn always visible, especially on darker skin but the damage may still take place.
If you have concerns about sun damage, or any skin symptom, we are here to help. Still worth spending time now getting ready to help yourself, so that the summer can be a time to enjoy, rather than bring the opposite.