The sun is out in force and it’s the season for sunburns. There are hundreds of ways to protect yourself from that painful, burnt fate, though the odds are good that everyone will feel the agony of a sunburn at least once in their life.

On that note, let’s mitigate the ‘burn days’ with a few tips and tricks on how to protect skin from the damage that a proper sunburn threatens. Here’s a countdown of our top ten (you can thank us later):

10. Protect yourself from reflected light

It doesn’t matter where you’re headed, whether it’s the park, the beach or your child’s soccer game – it’s always important to find natural shade or open an umbrella. Reflected light is an implication thanks to a significant number of elements working against your skin. Even if you’re free from direct sunlight, ensure you take the proper measures to protect yourself with some sunblock or sunscreen. This is incredibly important for people who are out on the water as the water reflects quite a bit of long UVA rays and can increase your sun exposure. Even though you may be wearing a hat from the direct sun you can still burn due to the reflected UV.

9. Moisturize your skin

For every available skin-protector, there’s a skin moisturizer to match it, but that doesn’t mean they’re all created equal. High quality natural products are not only effective, they also ensure that only the good stuff is going back into your skin.  Remember that when you put something on your skin you are also putting it into your body. We recommend Fit Glow skin moisturizers used daily and before bed to help rehydrate the skin.

8. Cold water

If you’re the unfortunate victim of a recent sunburn, soak in cold water. Aside from the refreshment factor, this process ensures that the burn doesn’t continue to cook the skin from theinside, out. A fantastic place to start, once you’ve stopped the burn from damaging your skin, you can look to rejuvenating it.

7. Apply Aloe-Vera directly to sunburnt area

Moisturizers are a powerful tool to have in your skin kit, but research confirms that Aloe-Vera will not only moisturize the skin, it will also aid in healing burns by increasing cellular oxygen. Heal with Aloe-Vera, and then nourish with a high quality moisturizer!

6. Stay hydrated

Drinking water is always a good idea, and this is rarely truer than in summer, when our bodies are exposed to heat and perspire more often. When your skin is burnt by the sun, vasodilation causes your skin to lose water quickly because the blood vessels are dilated. Drinking water will prevent dehydration and potentially more serious conditions such as heat stroke. If you are spending a day outside ensure a minimum of 2-3 liters of water. Even more if you’re engaging in water sports. When you’re out on the water you don’t feel the heat and dehydration due to the wind and increased evaporation making it difficult to know how quickly you’re losing water.

5. Sunscreen and Sunblock 

OK, this one’s a no-brainer. Sunscreen and sunblock are a powerful agent in protecting your skin. So much more than a must-have at the beach, sunscreen will protect your skin from wrinkling, sun spots, and more serious conditions. From a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) perspective, SPF15 protects your skin from approximately 94%, SPF30 from 97%, and SPF45 from approximately 98%. Remember to reapply sunscreens regularly as SPF= Sun Protection Factor. Thus an SPF30 means it will protect you for 30 more minutes of the sun before burning compared to if you had not applied any sunscreen.

4. Shift your diet to be rich in antioxidants

A great tip not only because it protects your skin, but also presents other health benefits in the process. A number of foods, some that may surprise you, lead the charge in protecting your skin and repairing sun damage. You can review some of them here and, yes, chocolate is really one of them.

3. Apply proper skin care treatments

You have no shortage of options vying for your attention, and choosing the right one is as important as using it effectively. When the topic of conversation is skin repair and exfoliation, keep an eye open for kojic or retinol. Both play a part in exfoliating the top layers of your skin, and will lift damage caused by the sun.

For products that inhibitmelanin (darkened skin) production, look for moisturizing ingredients like citrus, mulberry, and licorice root extracts. For a look at some of the skin care products we advocate for at Cornerstone, follow this link.

2. Infusion services

Make no mistake – the recommendations outlined here are meant to mitigate damage, not eliminate it. The sun is a factor no matter how preventative we strive to be, and UV rays will always find a way to your skin. When damage to the skin has already been sustained, consider infusion services to reduce wrinkling, fine lines, and sun spots. There are a range of appropriate and effective infusions to assist in repairing damage caused by the sun, and even by the simple passing of time.

1.Skin Rejuvenation with Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)

Our signature skin rejuvenation with platelet rich plasma is a phenomenal facial treatment that involves drawing blood, concentrating its platelets, and injecting them into damaged skin. In this way, the body’s own platelets are put to work healing and restoring the skin in focused areas.

There it is! Our countdown for how to prevent and repair sun damage. Our skin, as an organ, really doesn’t get the credit or the attention that it deserves – take care of yours this summer. If you need to mend damage caused to your skin by the sun or other factors, Cornerstone is happy to assist. Contact us today about how you can recieve your free skin health assessment, or sign up for our mailing list to recieve special offers!

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