Summers come with their own set of problems, especially for those who have sensitive skin. Even if you feel you don’t have any problem after going out in sun, you are mistaken. The damage is done to exposed part of the skin and you may not notice it immediately. Apart from skin damage, there are other problems like headache, fatigue and other symptoms seen after several hours of spending time outside in summers. So here are ten tips for you to keep yourself fit and fine in these summers:
1. Buy sunglasses that block UV rays if you don’t have already and wear them whenever you go out. Your eyes can easily be damaged if exposed to UV rays. Also if not directly exposed, looking at objects reflecting sunlight for long (road, buildings and everything) causes eye strain and even headache. Sunglasses are fashionable too, so hit the store and choose the one which looks good on your face. Information about UV rays protection is mentioned on the sunglasses tag.
2. Wear fabric that breath. Some fabrics restrict air passage and you should avoid these. If you wear, you will sweat more. Light colored clothes will absorb less heat and reflect more, so these summers make light colors your favorite colors!
3. Rely less on those 24 hours deodorant and take bath. Use good quality shampoo and soap.
4. When going out, drink water and also carry water bottle. When returned, don’t drink chilled water from fridge but some fresh water, you may add a little cold water if you want.
5. In summers hand and feat sweat a lot, so you may want to carry a tissue paper with you always and keep hanky for rare occasions when you can’t use a tissue paper. When you reach home, before you step on your bed or touch that TV remote, wash your feet’s and hands. This will not only wash away most of the germs but also cool you down. When your body temperature becomes normal, take shower if needed.
6. When you are out of house and need refreshment, drink fresh fruit juice instead of fizzy drinks. If you don’t get fresh fruit juice then packaged juice is fine too. One more point I would like to add, if you are not in a mood of drinking fruit juice then don’t drink just because it’s said it’s good for you, pick your favorite fizzy drink this time and enjoy it, really I mean it here. You can always eat raw fruit or take fruit juice at some other time when you are in mood of it. Lemonade is a good refresher too. If you are really very exhausted then you should have glucose.
7. Both your home and your car AC should not be set too cold. Keeping AC at most 25 deg (I keep at 27). Apart from saving electricity, this is good for your health too. When you move out of a room that was air conditioned and temperature was set too low, your body faces a sharp change in temperature which is not good for your health. This does not mean at all that you switch off the AC and start sweating, enjoy the luxury of AC but within limits of your body tolerance. Also don’t forget to use sleep mode at night!
8. If you follow above tips then you should not have any summer related skin problems, but in case you get skin rashes or other minor summer related skin problems then applying normal talcum powder helps a lot better than most of the fancy products available in market.
9. Most people might not want to get tanned in summers so for them using a god quality sunscreen lotion (choose nothing below SPF 26) before going out in sun is a must. However, nothing is better than protecting yourself from direct sunlight, wear hat, travel in car or carry an umbrella. Using sunscreen lotion adds to the protection from sun. Don’t hesitate to consult a dermatologist for advice on any type of skin problem that don’t get easily solved using home remedies.
10. People who have white patches on skin (Vitiligo) should not go out in mid day when sunlight is at extreme, and if it’s really necessary then one should wear clothes covering all parts of body, especially those effected with Vitiligo. However taking sunbath in morning and evening when sunlight is not strong is found to be effective in reducing white patches size. More info on Vitiligo here.