EDITORIAL: Protect yourself and the reefs with the right sunscreen
- Jul 11, 2017
- 1 min read
This editorial was originally written on behalf of the PantherNOW e-board and was featured in PantherNOW. The editorial focuses on protecting our endangered coral reefs by educating ourselves on the importance and correct usage of sunscreen.
Check out the editorial's excerpt below and click the link if you want to read the full story!
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Maytinee Kramer/Contributing Writer
It’s summer and the sun is shining bright, which is why it’s a golden time to highlight July as UV Safety Awareness Month. Because Florida is known for sunshine year round, the need to protect the skin from the sun has become more important over the years. Even though we may love the outdoors, going to the beach and tanning, there are serious consequences that follow due to too much sun exposure.
Overexposure to the sun’s UV-A and UV-B rays causes sunburn, premature aging of the skin, wrinkling and skin cancer.
There are many things to minimize sun exposure, such as covering up, staying in the shade and wearing the right sun screen.
Wearing sunscreen is vital because the U.S. FDA’s regulations for sunscreen labeling recommend that your sunscreen have a SPF of at least 15, and should protect against both UV-A and UV-B rays. The National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention recommends applying about 25-50 percent of the recommended amount of sunscreen every two hours. Even if the sunscreen is waterproof, if you are sweating or swimming, you should apply sunscreen more often.
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Photo Credit: Flickr
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