6 reasons you should never step out without applying sunscreen

Sunny days are back and so is the scorching heat, sweat and dirt. This can play havoc with your skin and hair if you do not protect them well. The sun emits harmful rays which have several ill-effects on our beauty. If you still step out without a sunscreen, here’s what’s in store for you.

Premature skin ageing

Perhaps the most amount of damage you can do to your skin is by exposing it to the sun directly. The UVA rays are responsible for early skin ageing. You are likely to have fine lines and wrinkles on your face at a much younger age if you do not use a sunscreen.  This is because these rays break collagen fibres which are responsible in keeping your skin taut and wrinkle-free. Here are 10 blunders that make you look older. 

Tanning

This is one of the first things that happen due to undue sun exposure. The skin gets tanned sometimes even after you apply sunscreen if you are out for a longer time and do not reapply it. This is because our skin produces a pigment called melanin when it is exposed to sun rays to protect it. This makes it a shade darker. Get rid of tan with these 10 packs.

Sunburns

Over exposure to the sun can result in your skin turning red with blisters on it. This is called sunburnt skin. It happens when you expose your skin to the sun for a long time without any sun protection. The UVB rays are responsible for it and the skin can feel burnt and painful on touching. Try Shahnaz Husain’s remedies for sunburns. 

Pigmentation

Have you noticed dark spots on your skin recently? The sun can make these worse and even give rise to new ones. This happens to due strong UV rays which repeatedly fall on the exposed areas such as face, arms, legs, etc. Skipping sunscreen can darken them further especially if you are fair-skinned. Reduce pigmentation with these packs.

Skin cancer

Skin cancer may not be very prominent in India but it is quite common in fair-skinned people. Exposing the skin the sun and its harmful rays without a sunscreen can lead to skin cancer. If not cancer, it can lead to skin allergies, prickly heat and make existing skin problems worse. Read more on skin cancer.

Hair damage

If you think the sun only affects your skin you are mistaken. Your hair isn’t immune to all these harmful rays. Since Indians have dark hair, they do not experience much damage but if you have coloured hair, you need extra protection. It is important to apply sunscreen on your tresses to prevent hair from losing its sheen. Read more on sunscreen for your hair.

So make sure you dab ample sunscreen before you step out especially in the summer season when the sun is the strongest. Try and avoid going out in the noon when the rays are extremely harsh and do the most damage. Protect yourself well by using the right sunscreen, sunglasses, hat or scarf. Here are some more tips.    

Originally published on www.thehealthsite.com