Whether you’ve become complacent to summer temperatures or are burned out at constantly applying sunscreen, summer heat is no joke. Everyone, young and old, is at risk for complications from the heat and sun.
You may have seen PSAs about things people just don’t think about as being dangerous: cars heat up fast, so you shouldn’t leave kids or pets in them, even with the window cracked. You may even have seen the viral photo of the badly burned toddler who was meant to be cooled off in the kiddie pool, but instead got blasted with scalding hot water because the hose had been left to heat up on the lawn. Another one is wearing sunglasses and sunscreen even if it’s overcast, because if there’s light out, there’s plenty of UV radiation to burn you or just cause slow damage (the PSA this summer came from an octogenarian who wished she’d used sunglasses throughout her whole life, because she is now facing a ton of problems including losing her vision).
Here’s an older PSA: a base tan is meaningless when it comes to your health. Whether you feel sun-confidant with your skin, or are just tired of constantly applying sunscreen before enjoying the outside, don’t skip it. If you absolutely hate it, try switching to a daily moisturizer so you have at least some coverage. Spray sunscreen is fast, and easy to apply by yourself. And be a friend: if you see someone burning, break social norms and say something.
While you may be getting sick of summer up-charges for running the AC (a lot of counties add extra taxes to combat peak grid hours or to just emphasize they think it’s a luxury), but keeping it tolerable (if not cool) is important if you’ve got young kids, older folks, or pets at home. In fact, there’s a movement to get rid of extra charges/taxes during the summer, the same way we do during the winter to help keep heat on for everyone because there have been a few cases of people succumbing to heat stroke in their own homes.
Similarly, be smart about spending time outside. On hot days (or just peak sun hours on a regular day) you need to bring water with you for even a short walk.
And here’s the kicker: ticks and mosquitoes are still a huge problem. Since you probably don’t want to cover up with long pants and sleeves during the summer, you need to remember the bug spray, too. (It’s not recommended to use combination sunscreen/bug spray since they have different reapply times).
I hope everyone is enjoying the summer months, and can keep being safe until fall! If you get burned, remember that colloidal silver has a long history helping skin heal from burns and other minor wounds. An easy way to apply it is to just spray over aloe, or simplify what you’re applying with our topical silver cream (it has both silver and aloe, as well as other well-known skin support all in one!).
Share your summer tips in the comments:
