Wear Sunscreen in the Winter! Especially in the Mountains and Snow.

Keep in mind the snow season for many mountain ranges in North America will continue well into May. During Winter and snowy Spring, most often people make the mistake of not finding shade as often during the winter because they are not getting sunburned as quickly and because the warm sun feels really good on their skin. Depending on your activities, you can actually do more sun damage to your skin in the winter than the summer. Spending time in the mountains and snow? Snow nearly doubles your exposure to UV rays. In fact, the snow reflects back 80-percent of UVA rays, nearly doubling your sun exposure! When you’re scoping those mountain views, keep in mind, UV increases by nearly four percent for every 1,000-foot increase in elevation. That’s more sun exposure than any day at the beach. Even if you prefer the view from inside the cabin, resort, or home, where it’s nice and warm, you’re still at risk for UVA skin damage. UVB rays are mostly blocked by glass and clouds, but 50- to 60-percent of UVA rays go right through windows. The Earth is closest to the sun in the middle of the winter. The changes of the season occur because of the tilt of the Earth, not how close are to the sun. In the northern hemisphere, we are closest to the sun about two weeks after the winter solstice. We’re the furthest from the sun about two weeks after the summer solstice. Ozone, the Earth’s “sunscreen,” is the thinnest during the winter. Ozone acts like the Earth’s sunscreen, filtering out and protecting us from harmful UV rays. In the Northern Hemisphere, ozone levels are generally the lowest from December to March. It works well for us that we spend the most time outside in the summer when we’re the most naturally protected, but it does add to the challenge in the winter.

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