Dealing with the sun

Always have a pair of sunglasses with you. It's a good idea to have a back up pair as well in case something happens to the first pair. For instance, its a good idea to stash a pair in your car, in your desk at work, your school locker, etc. Then the next logical question is, where to get a good pair of sunglasses? Unfortunately I have yet to find a reliable place to get good, dark, sturdy glasses. It has been suggested to try welding glasses but those aren't exactly my style. I have also been recommended polarized glasses but the ones I can find aren't dark enough. I'm starting to think that I will have to have a pair custom made, which can get rather expensive.

If you have to be outside for extended periods of time (especially if you live in a tropical climate like Florida) make sure you don't allow yourself to get dehedrated. Make sure you drink lots of fluids, mainly good ole H20. Failing that, stick to things like Gatorade, Propel, V-8 and V-8 Splash. Something else to try is a combination of tomato and carrot juice about 50/50. If you don't like it that strong you can just reduce the amount of carrot juice.

To avoid sunburn try to stay in the shade as much as possible, especially at the height of the day (noon). Your best bet would be to stay in doors until the sun goes down, but that's not very realistic. Try to keep your face and neck shielded with a hat, bandana, whatever. (Sensative areas mean very painful burns!) Long sleeved shirts and pants will help, but will not be very comfortable on extremely hot days. Clothing made of sheer fabrics are pretty useless as the sun will shine right through them. Remember that dark clothing absorbs the sunlight while white reflects it. Lighter colors will keep you cooler but reflect more light into your eyes requiring you to have darker sunglasses.

Sun screens can help prevent sunburns when worn and applied properly. Most sunscreens are not sweat proof so they must be applied often so take the bottle with you and read the label carefully. A large magority of the sunscreens out there only protect you from UV-B light. Which is good in and of its self, but UV-A light can cause things like cancer (such as melanoma). So far there is nothing that is proved to block this type of UV light. (Hopefully there will be soon!) If you find yourself allergic or highly sensative to the sun your best bet would be sunblocks that contain large amounts of zinc. The more zinc the better the protection. Be forewarded though, these types are white and don't disappear after application, so expect to look very white! Don't apply sunscreen to an area that has already been burned, it can actually make a bad situation worse. Those with sun allergies should avoid using scented or colored soaps, gels, bath foams, etc. Dermatologists suggest Aquanil or another soap free cleaners. Glycerin-based cleansers are the best.

Author: Razor The Tormented