SUMMER SUN SAFETY

WITH THE TURN OF THE SEASON COMES THE MUCH-ANTICIPATED WARMER WEATHER OF SUMMER

However, as most of us will want to soak up the sun for the rest of the year, we all need to be mindful that the sun isn’t soaking us up.

Sun safety is an essential part of maintaining our overall health, however there is one important step in the sun safety routine which is often overlooked — especially by the fashion-conscious.

Wearing a hat could make the difference between you getting the most out of the sun this year, and the sun getting the most out of you.

Wearing a hat is a vital step in the sun safety routine.

They protect your scalp, face and neck from exposure to harmful ultraviolet rays.

While hats have long held the reputation of having the sole purpose of ruining summer hairstyles, they do play an important role in minimising the risk of getting burnt on sensitive skin areas like your hairline, cheeks, neck or ears — sunscreen can’t protect these areas all by itself.

Besides the short-term consequences of not wearing a hat, overexposure to sun-rays can lead to skin cancers forming on these areas.

These skin cancers will most likely have to be removed surgically or frozen off, both of which leave scars.

If these cancers are left too long, they would either have to be treated with radiation, which leads to hair loss in the affected area, or chemotherapy, which causes hair loss all over.

Surely having hat hair is worth the struggle if it means we get to keep our much-cherished locks — besides, being healthy is always on trend.