Decoding UV Index & Solar Veil Daily -Day

Like many of my millennium friends, I got more into skin care during pandemic and many years afterwards. I started watching all Tiktok skincare videos and read all the articles that began to appear more during that time.

That’s when I learned, surprising me, that the population segment was not significantly wearing sunscreen every day. I see a dermatologist and influencer both touting sunscreen as the most impact anti-aging products that you can buy.

I already know that sunscreen is important to avoid skin cancer. But I really just thought to wear sitting when I was going outside in direct sunlight for hours -like on the beach or outdoor festival.

All of this took me to a deep diving to answer: When do I need sunscreen? This is what I learned.

UV Index

Skin cancer and sunlight are caused by ultraviolet rays from the sun. The UV index is a measure of how much radiation that damages the skin reaches the surface of the earth on a scale of 1-11. Varies based on time and location.

When the UV 3 index or higher, you must take steps to protect yourself from the sun, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

“Sunscreen helps prevent UV damage, which can cause skin cancer, hyperpigmentation, and premature aging,” explained UVA Health Surgery oncology Russell Witt, MD, which treats melanoma.

Checking the UV index is easy. Many weather applications including UV index estimates. You can also search one online.

Make sunscreen into everyday habits

When I started checking the UV index, I quickly found it following a predicted pattern. Where I live in Central Virginia, index rises above 3 every day from around March to October. And usually between 10 am and 5 pm

I find the easiest way to make positive changes is to make it a habit. If automatic and I don’t need to think about it, it’s easy to stay. In this case, I decided to start wearing sunscreen every day.

Fortunately, the sunscreen formula has been running far. With some google search and some trial -try, I found sunscreen that I can use comfortably every day – even under makeup.