Yes, You Should Wear Sunscreen in the Cold Months, Too

When it comes to sunscreen, most of us think of it as a “summertime thing.” But wearing sunscreen is also extremely important in the winter, protecting you from skin cancer and premature aging. Here's why you should wear sunscreen even in the cold.

The first couple of months bring the coldest weather for people in New York when summer’s warmth and bright sunshine can seem like a distant memory. For most of us, the idea of wearing sunscreen seems absurd. How can the sun cause any harm when it’s so cold and gray outdoors?

Even though it’s cold out, the sun can still harm your skin, and wearing sunscreen during the cold months of winter is one of the best things you can do to keep your skin protected. In this post, the team at Vivash Medspa explains how winter sun exposure damages your skin and why year-round sunscreen use is important for keeping your skin healthy.

It’s not the heat — it's the UV rays

Many people think sun damage happens because the sun is so hot, and that heat causes sunburn. While the sun’s heat can irritate and dry your skin, skin damage (including sunburn) is caused by the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays.

UV rays don’t cause warmth; the warmth you feel from the sun is actually from waves of infrared energy, a different type of energy located on a different part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Compared to visible light rays, UV rays are shorter, while infrared rays are longer.

UV rays don’t generate heat, and they also don’t require heat to cause damage. They don’t even require clear weather: Data show as much as 90% of UV rays can penetrate cloud cover, which means you can still get a sunburn on overcast days.

On top of that, you can even absorb UV rays from snow and ice reflection. In fact, snow and ice reflect as much as 80% of the sun’s UV rays, increasing your risk of skin damage even further, whether you’re snowboarding, skiing, or just taking a wintertime walk.

How sunscreen protects skin

Just as sunscreen protects your skin from UV radiation in the summer, it also keeps it safe in the winter. Sunscreen creates a powerful barrier against UV rays, preventing them from penetrating your skin.

In the winter, we get some benefits from our clothing. Long-sleeved coats, sweaters, and long pants provide protection of their own. But other areas, like the face, ears, hands, and lips are especially vulnerable to wintertime sun exposure. Making sure these areas are protected by sunscreen is critical.

Without protection, UV rays increase the risk of skin cancer. They also speed up the aging process by breaking down collagen and elastin fibers, making wrinkles and lines easier to form. Sun exposure also affects the skin’s natural moisture barrier and pigments, drying out the skin and leading to sunspots, age spots, and other areas of discoloration.

Wearing sunscreen during the winter is essential for reducing your risk of skin cancer, and it also prevents premature aging and cosmetic changes that can make you feel less attractive and less confident.

Treating sun-damaged skin

Our team is skilled at treating sun-damaged skin with laser therapy, PRP, and other treatments. But ideally, you want to avoid that damage in the first place. If you do wind up with sun damage, we can help. To find out how and to learn what else you can do to protect your skin in the winter and all year long, request an appointment online or over the phone with the team at Vivash Medspa in Mahopac and Cold Spring, New York, today.