Sunscreen in the Winter…Really?

Do I Really Have to Wear Sunscreen in the Winter?

The mercury in the thermometer is starting to drop and the sunshine just isn’t lasting as long as it did a few short weeks ago; it must be closing in on wintertime. While it is true that a lot of things in your skin care routine may be changing with the new cooler season, there is one important step that shouldn’t be coming off your list, however: Sunscreen in the winter.

You may be thinking that the cooler temperatures mean fewer UV rays, but that is not the case. The sun can be just as damaging to your skin in the winter months as it is in the summer. Keep that sunscreen handy! You will need to slather it on all year long to protect your skin from the damaging effects of the sun which can lead to skin cancer and premature aging.  So, it is necessary to wear sunscreen in the winter!

4 Reasons Why You Need Sunscreen in the Winter

In the winter months, you may find that the sunshine is more pleasant on skin than it is in summer. Those rays that had you seeking shade in July, feel mighty welcoming in November. Depending on your cooler weather plans, you could possibly do even more damage to your skin in the winter than you ever even thought of doing in the summer!

1. Snow acts like a mirror for UV rays: If you live in an area where you get a heavy amount of snowfall throughout the winter months, beware because you may actually be getting double the amount of sun exposure than you do in the summer. It is due to the fact that the snow on the ground acts like a giant mirror reflecting nearly 80% of the rays back up at your face.
2. Higher elevations mean thinner atmosphere: If you are a skier, you probably spend a bit of your winter season up in the mountains which means you are catching more UV rays than you would during a day at the beach. For every 1,000 feet you gain in elevation, the UV strength increases by 4%.
3. The Earth will be closer to the sun: During the winter months, the northern part of the planet is tilted toward the sun, the closest it gets to the star that shines light on our globe.
4. The ozone layer is thinner: The ozone layer is like the Earth’s very own layer of SPF, but that layer is stretched much thinner in the winter time than it is in the summertime.

Related: Winter Skincare 101 – Is It Really Necessary

Is There Specific Sunscreen Designed for Winter?

The right sunscreen in the winter months is dependent on location. If you are lazing by your backyard pool in Miami, you will likely need to keep on with whatever SPF you use to get you through the summer months. However, if you are bundled up from head to toe in Minnesota, you may find that a good moisturizer that contains an SPF is enough to get you through the season.

There are many moisturizers on the market that offer SPF Protection, but you will want to make sure you aren’t dropping down to anything lower than SPF 15. Another good thing to look for is a broad-spectrum sunscreen that will protect you from both UVA and UVB rays.

Due to other skin conditions that develop in the winter months like dry flaky skin, it is wise to choose a sunscreen that does double duty as a moisturizer. There are a lot of really good brands on the market that contain soothing elements like aloe, vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants.

My Makeup Has SPF, I’m Good Right?

If you wear a makeup with SPF you may be in the clear, as long as the SPF is high enough for the protection that you need. If you pair your makeup with a moisturizer with SPF as well, you will probably be covered just fine. However, don’t forget to reapply if you are spending a good amount of time outdoors.

Even if you don’t wear foundation, you can still use a mineral powder that contains an SPF. Consider the powder by Peter Thomas Roth that goes on transparent and matte, plus it contains an SPF of 45, good for sunscreen in the winter.

Related: Who Else Hates Dry Skin?

How Much SPF Do I Need?

To make sure that you choose the correct amount of SPF, you first need to understand what SPF actually means. The letters stand for Sun Protection Factor, and you choose your number in a very specific way. According to a skincare expert from the International Dermal Institute, Emma Hobson, the SPF number measures the actual level of UV protection you will receive from the sunscreen.

“SPF is all about time, not strength. The SPF of your sunscreen indicates the length of time that your skin is protected from sunburn, depending on your skin type,” explains Robin Hutch, another skin care expert from Nivea. So basically, if your skin starts to look a little red after ten minutes of standing in the sun, your SPF 30 would protect you for 10 minutes x 30 or 300 minutes.

Remember, just slathering on your sunscreen in the winter once in the morning and calling it a day won’t cut it. The weather conditions in the winter actually whittle away at your sunscreen at a quick rate. The strong winds mixed with snow mean that you should be reapplying every couple of hours while you are outside building snowmen and making snow angels.  So sunscreen in the winter is no different than the summer months.

Can I Get Away with Only Putting Sunscreen on My Face?

Depending on how you are dressed! If you are fully bundled up: hat, thick gloves, wool sweater, thick scarf around your neck, then the UV rays are probably not going to penetrate those thick layers of clothing. However, if you live in a milder climate where you are only wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt, protect your skin.

There are a few factors that determine whether or not the sun’s harmful rays will be able to penetrate your clothing.

• The Color. The darker the color of your shirt, the more protection it will give you from the UV rays that are attempting to penetrate it. White and pastels do not offer as much protection as black and navy.
• The Material. The heavier the weave of the fabric, the more protection your skin will receive. Wool, denim, and polyester are all pretty good protectors, but cotton and silk are generally thin and lightweight, therefore they offer less protection.
• The Size. This one is a little more self-explanatory. The bigger the item of clothing and the more skin it covers, the more protection you will receive. This is also true of hats, the wider the brim, the more protection.
• The Fit. Fabrics that fit the body very tightly and stretch when you put them on, may not offer as much protection as an item that fits a little more loosely. This is because the stretching of the fabric actually pulls the fibers away from each other creating a thinner barrier between your skin and the UV rays.
• The UPF. There are a lot of clothes on the market that come with a UPF rating or an Ultraviolet Protection Factor. This rating on your clothing items works very similar to the rating on your bottle of sunscreen.

Do I need Sunscreen While Indoors? In My Car?

If you prefer to spend your winter months sitting cozily in the ski lodge while your friends and family race down the hill, you might think that you can leave off the sun protection, but that may not necessarily be the case. If you plan on sitting in the big bay window soaking in the panoramic mountain views, you won’t be protected from UVA damage. Windows generally block UVB rays, but they only tend to be able to shield you from about 50% of the UVA rays. Sunscreen is still needed to keep your skin safe from sun damage.

If you are planning a long road trip this winter, you may need to pack a little sunscreen for the drive. A car windshield actually does a pretty good job of protecting from both UVA and UVB rays, however, the side windows don’t offer as much protection. The windows on the side of the cars are like the windows in your home and only protect against UVB rays. The UVA rays will still be able to penetrate into the interior of the car. If you are the driver, then that will mean that the left side of your body is at a higher risk of skin damage, and if you are the passenger that will mean the right side of your body is at a higher risk for skin damage. The best bet is to go ahead and apply your sunscreen and keep your skin safe.

Skin Cancer Can Happen to Anyone

If you need more convincing about the importance of wearing sunscreen, consider these numbers: skin cancer will affect one in five Americans. This isn’t only a problem for those that are pasty pale, in fact, those with darker pigmented skin often miss the signs that they may have a skin cancer issue.

Need more numbers to be convinced? Here you go:

• More Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer each year than all other cancers combined.
• The diagnosis of skin cancer has increased by 77% since 1994.
• Over 4 million cases of basal cell carcinoma, the most common kind of skin cancer, are diagnosed each year.
• One person in the world dies every hour from melanoma.
• A person’s risk of developing melanoma doubles after just 5 sunburns in a lifetime.

Protect your skin with daily applications of sunscreen in the winter months, to help avoid developing skin cancer.

Related: Tips on Wrinkle Prevention and Reduction

Sunscreen Mistakes to Avoid

• Don’t be tricked by a super high SPF. According to the FDA, there is very little evidence that an SPF over 50 has any added benefits. Plus, a super high SPF sometimes makes people more confident in their protection causing them to forget to reapply.
• Don’t only use a spray sunscreen. While using the spray version may be convenient, especially in those hard to reach places, it often isn’t properly applied. A lot of areas of the skin can be missed when using a spray, especially if the conditions are windy. When applying sunscreen, a lotion is generally thought to be the best method.
• Don’t forget your ears! The ears are often forgotten when it comes to the application of sunscreen leading to a lot of burned skin! When you are applying your SPF to your face, don’t forget to take a second and swipe a bit on your ears.
• Don’t keep sunscreen that has expired.  Expired sunscreen will not offer the same amount of protection that a brand-new bottle will offer, and you may find yourself with a nasty burn by using stuff that should have been chucked in the bin.
• Don’t opt for the cheapest lotion on the shelf. While the price may not accurately reflect the quality of the sunscreen, it is imperative that you purchase a good quality sunscreen to protect your skin from the harmful UV damage. That doesn’t mean you have to find the most expensive bottle in the store, it simply means that you should pay attention to the ingredients and the SPF.

So now that you’ve learned that the temperature outside doesn’t have anything at all to do with the need for sunscreen, you will be keeping your skin well protected with a quality SPF all year round, right?  Wear sunscreen in the winter!

More Great Winter Sunscreen Resources

5 Scary Stats That Will Make You Wear SPF in the Winter

Is SPF 15 Enough?

The 7 Best Winter Sunscreens