Not everyone knows that you are exposed to the sun's rays in the winter. Learn the unexpected ways of exposure by clicking here.
Being exposed to ultraviolet radiation, or UV rays, leads to aged skin, eye damage, and can even lower your body's natural ability to fight illnesses. It can also greatly increase your risk of skin cancer.
While most people are careful about getting too much sun exposure in the summer months, winter UV rays pose just as much of a threat.
Do you want to learn more about the unexpected ways you are exposed to UV ray damage in the winter? Keep reading this article to see the different types of exposure to the sun's UV rays and to learn how to prevent damage from the sun's rays.
Eye Damage
One common type of UV ray exposure that you may experience is eye damage. Most people worry about their skin being exposed to the sun, but you can also get serious eye damage to your retina or cornea if you look at the sun for too long or have unprotected sun exposure.
While this sun exposure, also known as solar retinopathy, can heal over time, you may still be left with permanent eye problems.
To protect yourself from getting eye damage from winter UV rays, it is best to wear sunglasses to protect your eyes and the sensitive skin around your eyes.
Reflected Light in Water or Snow
One of the most common causes of UV ray exposure in the winter is rays that are reflected off of surfaces, like rain. When it rains or snows, the UVA rays can bounce off the ground and will still penetrate through several layers of your skin.
The skin cancer foundation also found that snow can reflect up to 80% of the sun's UV light. This means that you can get exposed to the rays when they hit your skin and when they bounce off snow or ice.
Driving in the Car
Next, you can get radiation exposure from UV rays while you are in the car. Although your front windshield is meant to filter most UV rays, the other windows in your car will not offer this same filter.
This means that any sun coming through your back or side windows will allow UVA light to pass through the windows.
In fact, many people who drive for a living, like truck drivers, or who spend a lot of time in their car will often have more sun exposure on the side of their face that is closest to their windows.
If you are worried about getting too much sun exposure in your car, you can wear sun protective clothing and removable sleeves to prevent any skin damage. You can also install window films that filter the UVA rays and keep them from getting into your car.
Visiting Elevated Areas
It is also common to get serious sun exposure when you are visiting areas with a higher elevation or if you are on a mountain top.
As you gain elevation, UV radiation exposure increases. This is especially true in the winter, when areas with high elevation have more snow or ice for UV rays to bounce off of.
If you are not used to spending time in areas with higher elevations, it is important that you reapply your sunscreen regularly and wear protective clothing to prevent too much sun exposure.
Traveling
Another thing that can increase your exposure to UV rays in the winter is traveling. Often, people who travel in the winter months forget to pack sunscreen for their vacations to warmer parts of the world.
This may be because the cool weather at home gives them a false sense of security and they may not be worried about the UV index.
However, traveling is a large cause of UV exposure. This can be due to UV ray exposure when you are in the car traveling to your destination or while you are enjoying your vacation.
This is a great reason to invest in clothing that blocks UV rays, as it is easy to pack and is great to wear while traveling. Sun protetive blanket wraps are always a great easy to use alternative.
Cloudy Days
Finally, many people believe that rainy or cloudy days will lower the UV index and will lower their risk of sun damage.
However, you are even at the risk of getting UV ray exposure on cool, cloudy days. This is because there are two different types of UV rays. These are UVA rays and UVB rays.
UVA rays are still able to pass through clouds and other weather conditions and can reach your deepest layers of skin. This means that they are still very dangerous on cloudy days.
This is one of the reasons why it is vital to wear sunscreen daily, no matter the season. It is also important to wear protective clothing to keep your skin safe!
Start Protecting Yourself from the Sun's Rays
Cold or cloudy winter weather may make you think that you are safe from the sun's rays. However, you can still get extreme sun exposure during the winter months that can damage your skin, eyes, and more.
To make sure you are properly protected from UV rays and sun damage, it is vital that you continue to wear sunscreen and sun protective clothing in the winter months and find other ways to avoid too much sun exposure.
If you need extra protection from UV rays, BloqUV can help! Our team offers clothes and accessories that block 98% of UVA/UVB rays. Check out our products online to learn more about wearable UV protection and to increase your peace of mind!