Canadian Health Network

Send this to a friend Print-friendly version Made in the shade: sun protection UV and you - living with ultraviolet Past Articles Subscribe to our Healthlink newsletter

Playing or watching sports outdoors?

With the arrival of warmer weather, more of us are outside playing or watching sports, or exercising outdoors. These activities can improve your overall health but you also need to protect your skin. When you spend time outdoors, you are exposed to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun that can harm your skin and eyes. In Canada, sunlight is strong enough to cause premature aging of your skin and skin cancer. You can reduce your risk by following these guidelines.

Play in the shade

If it's not possible to play in the shade, spend your breaks in the shade of trees or buildings. If there is no shade available, bring an umbrella or portable tent.

Choose your time of day to play

Reduce your exposure to the sun between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. or any time of the day when the UV Index^TM is 3 or more. The sun's rays are at their strongest between these hours. If you can, plan to be active outdoors before 11 a.m. or after 4 p.m. You can find out what the UV Index^TM is from your local weather forecast or check Environment Canada's UV Index^TM forecasts.

Wear protective clothing, hat and sunglasses

Cover your skin to protect it from the sun. Wear clothing that covers as much of your skin as possible. Choose clothing that is loose fitting, tightly woven and lightweight. Shirts with collars help protect your neck.

Wear a wide-brimmed hat that covers your head, face, ears and neck. Most skin cancers occur on the face and neck. Hats without a wide brim, like baseball caps, do not give you enough protection.

Sunglasses can help prevent damage to your eyes by blocking a large amount of ultraviolet rays.

Choose sunglasses with:

• even shading
• medium to dark lenses (grey, brown or green tint)
• a label that indicates that the glasses offer both UVA and UVB protection

Use sunscreen

Apply sunscreen with SPF (Sun Protection Factor) 15 or higher and SPF 30 if you will be outside for most of the day. Look for "broad spectrum" on the label. This means that the sunscreen offers protection against 2 types of ultraviolet rays, UVA and UVB.

Apply sunscreen generously, 20 minutes before outdoor activities. Reapply at least every 2 hours and after swimming or exercise that makes you perspire. Don't forget your ears, nose, neck and any bald spots, as these are areas where skin cancers usually occur. Your lips need protection too. Use an SPF 15 sunscreen lip balm and reapply when needed.

Choose a waterproof or sweatproof sunscreen if you are in the water or will be sweating. Some "sport" sunscreens are now available and work well.

Remember that sunscreen can't protect against all of the sun's rays. Use sunscreen along with shade, clothing and hats, not instead of them.

Build sun protection into your activities

Talk to the coaches and organizers of your sports activities about the risk of sunburn and skin cancer and encourage them to build sun protection into activities. Some ways to do this are:

• Provide shade for participants and spectators. This can include providing tents and umbrellas.



• Schedule outdoor activities before 11 a.m. or after 4 p.m.



• Select team uniforms that cover as much skin as possible.



• Encourage staff and coaches to be good role models when it comes to sun protection. They can remind participants to take breaks in the shade and put on sunscreen.