Pg. 10 2026-27 Health & Wellness Magazine Lincoln Daily News to help reduce the risk of dehydration and heat exhaustion. • Seek shade or go indoors if skin starts to look pink or feel sore. People with darker skin may not notice visible color changes. Reapplication matters because sunscreen can wear off with sweat, water, towel-drying, and time. Even a good sunscreen is less effective if too little is applied or if it is not reapplied during long outdoor activities. Protection also matters when sunlight feels less intense because UV exposure can happen indirectly: • Sand, snow, and water can reflect UV rays and increase the risk of sunburn, even in shade. • UV rays can penetrate clouds, so sunburn can still occur even when the sky is cloudy. • Trees, umbrellas, and canopies help, but they do not provide complete UV protection. It is also important to pay attention to early warning signs. Skin that feels hot, tender, itchy, or sore after sun exposure may already be irritated or burned. If symptoms are severe, including blistering, fever, chills, confusion, dehydration, or eye pain, a person should seek medical guidance. A lesser know complication of being in the sun too long is Actinic keratosis, also called solar keratosis. This is a rough, scaly skin patch caused by years of ultraviolet exposure from the sun or tanning beds, most often appearing on sun-exposed areas such as the face, ears, scalp, neck, forearms, lips, and backs of the hands. These patches may be flat or slightly raised, dry, itchy, crusted, or wartlike, and can vary in color from pink or red to brown. They usually develop slowly and are more common in people over 40, especially those with fair features, frequent sunburns, or weakened immune systems. Because untreated actinic keratosis can sometimes develop into squamous cell carcinoma, Mayo Clinic recommends having new or changing skin spots checked by a health care provider. Choose safer ways to get that bronzed look For people who want a tanned appearance, sunless tanning products such as sprays, mousses, and lotions offer a safer option because they add temporary color without intentional UV exposure. Most sunless tanning products contain dihydroxyacetone, which darkens the surface of the skin temporarily; however, it does not create UV protection or replace sunscreen. For the most natural-looking result, people often do best by applying sunless tanner evenly, washing hands after application, and continuing to use sunscreen when going outdoors. The internet is filled with places that now offer spray tans which are safe, fast, natural-looking, and reasonably priced when compared to the time it takes to lay outside or the time and cost of tanning packages at a salon. Every tanning artist may use different methods such as a spray tan booth, spray tan gun or by airbrushing. Therefore, each artist will need to give direction on how to prepare before and after the process based on the mode of application. Typically, the actual application takes 15-30 minutes with 5-10 minutes of drying time before dressing. Usually, the tan can last 5-10 days and costs vary from $25- $85 per session but can depend on the artist’s mode of application and experience. The goal is not to avoid outdoor activities, but
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