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Choosing the Right SPF for Your High Altitude Hike

July 11, 2011 on 12:00 am | In Uncategorized | Comments Off

Choosing the right SPF for your high altitude hike is crucial to ensure health safety, skin protection, and comfort. The sun is intense, but the higher the altitude the more intense the sun becomes, so protecting your skin is a must. How do you know which sunscreen to apply?

Well, sunscreen is available in various SPFs or sun protection factors. Choosing the right SPF for the activity and skin type will make the difference between protected skin and sunburn. The higher the SPF the better protection against harmful UVB rays.

Even if your skin does not normally burn easily, you will want to choose a higher SPF when hiking at high altitudes. The recommended SPF when approaching high altitudes is SPF 50 or more. Sun exposure does not have to be harmful. Protection against those harmful UVB rays and burns is available.

The right SPF is just the first half of protecting your skin on that high altitude hike. Apply a generous amount of sunscreen and reapply after two hours or as often as needed. Take into consideration that you will probably sweat some of the sunscreen off or rub it off, and reapplication will help keep your skin protected.