As the summer continues on you may be thinking you can skip sunscreen when the sun goes behind the clouds, but is that actually a good thing to do? The short answer is no. You should not skip wearing sunscreen on a cloudy day because the dangerous UV rays of the sun can penetrate light cloud cover and still cause your skin significant damage.
How much damage can the sun cause to your skin through cloud cover? The World Health Organization (WHO) has indicated that nearly 80% of the harmful UV rays that beam down from the sun can push through light cloud cover. If the UV rays that make it through the light cloud cover make it to your skin you may be in for sun damage or worse, skin cancer.
Now that we've established that you should always wear sunscreen when you go outside, even on an overcast day, you should know there are other things you can do to protect your skin whether the sun is bright or it is hidden behind light cloud cover. Some of these things are easy to do, you just have to remember to do them and keep yourself and your skin safe.
1.) Wear a hat. A hat can protect your face and the skin you spend so much time working on throughout the year with your carefully planned out skincare routine. If you spend time working on your skincare, you should give your skin the best chance possible to be safe and free from damage by wearing a hat when you go out on any day where you have determined that sunscreen is necessary as well.
2.) Cover as much skin as possible. You may wish to wear long sleeves or long pants, especially if you're going to be in the sun for long periods of time. While the temperature may not be great for wearing long sleeve clothes, it is more important for you to protect your skin then it is to be completely cool and comfortable.
3.) Skip the peak of the sunshine for the day. Do not go to the pool or the beach in the middle of the day. Try to plan any trips that will require you to be in direct sunlight in the morning or early evening as opposed to the mid-day. Mid-day sun is the strongest and most direct and will put your skin at the greatest risk. If you spend days in the mid-day sun you may struggle to keep your skin protected even if you are doing all of the things mentioned above.
Sunscreen is your best defense against direct sun damage and the possibility of sun cancer from direct sunlight. Even on cloudy days you should be wearing a good amount of sunscreen to protect your skin from the damaging UV rays of the sun.
Whether you are heading out in the middle of the summer, the early fall or even the winter you should consider wearing sunscreen to protect yourself from the sun. Your skincare routine can help keep your skin moisturized, but without sunscreen you will not have protection against the damage of the sun.
