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Elderly Care Tips: Wintertime Sunscreen Reminder

Elderly Care in Catasauqua PA

You may be a long time from planning an elderly care day trip to the beach, but that does not mean that you should be forgetting about one of your summertime staples, your sunscreen. Though most people associate using sunscreen with the hottest months of the year and spending long days outside, the truth is that the risks of sun exposure do not ever go on vacation. No matter what time of year it is, if your skin is going to be exposed to the sun, you need to protect it in order to avoid potentially serious health consequences such as skin cancer.

According to recent studies, more than 20 percent of women and as much as 40 percent of men admit that they never use sunscreen to protect any of the exposed skin on their body from potentially harmful rays of the sun. Around 80 percent of men do not use sunscreen regularly, which is particularly shocking considering more men are diagnosed with melanoma after the age of 50 than women, according to information from the National Cancer Institute.

 

Use these reminders to help you use sunscreen effectively throughout the wintertime months:

• Check the expiration date. One thing that many people do not think about when it comes to sunscreen is the fact that this product does expire. Keep that in mind when digging out that old tube from the back of the linen closet or medicine cabinet. Most of these products last for one year, so it is best that you use up your sunscreen each season and purchase a new one every few months as needed.

• Know the best. It is an unfortunate reality of the skincare marketplace that many sunscreens available at stores do not live up to their sun protection claims, and may even contain chemicals that could irritate or harm your skin. According to Consumer Reports, up to 80 percent of the sunscreen products on the market either do not actually test at the SPF listed on the container, contain potentially harmful ingredients, or both. Do some research to find out what products have been rated as most reliable so that you can make an educated decision for your family.

• Apply in advance. Sunscreen is not automatically active. It takes approximately 15 to 30 minutes for the product to soak into the skin and actually provide its protective effects. Be sure to apply the sunscreen before heading out into the sun so that the protection has time to become effective before you exposure your skin to the sunlight. For best results, apply your sunscreen before putting clothing on so that you are sure that any skin that may be exposed to the sunlight when you move around or if you are wearing lightweight clothing is protected. Of course this is not as important during the winter months when you are wearing heavier clothing that covers all of your skin, but you should still be very careful to put sunscreen on all of the skin that may be touched by the sun.

 

If you are considering hiring elderly care in Catasauqua, PA, contact the caring staff at Extended Family Care of Allentown. Call today at (610)200-6097.

http://blog.aarp.org/2015/05/27/the-best-sunscreens-youre-not-using/

http://www.ewg.org/2015sunscreen/top-sun-safety-tips/

 

Stephen Sternbach

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