Continuing on in breaking down the Ten Essentials to follow when heading outdoors, number two on the list is Sun Protection. Depending on where you live, this may be more or less important. Here in the high county, its critical year round. I have to admit though, until I started researching more for this article, I didn't realize just how much there is to this "simple" task.

The two main areas to protect from the sun when enjoying the outdoors are your eyes, and your skin. We'll examine them both separately.

Eyes

Look for a couple of things in sun glasses. First, make sure they block both UVA and UVB rays, as both will do damage to your eyes. More and more sunglasses meet this standard these days, buts it better to check and make sure. Otherwise, all the glasses do is cause your pupil to widen, letting in more of the harmful rays. Also, if you can find glasses that are the wrap-around style, you'll be better off. They'll let less light in from the sides and bottom.

Skin

What to look for.

Like with sunglasses, look for a broad spectrum sunscreen, one that covers both UVA and UVB. Nothing less than an SPF rating of 15 is recommended, with 30  being the preferred. However, its important to know that the SPF rating only applies to the sun-screen's ability to protect against UVB rays. The FDA does not yet rate UVA rays. Let's look at what these rays do before we cover how sunscreen works.

UVA versus UVB

UVA rays cause the most amount of damage to the human body. Unlike UVB (which will get to in a minute), UVA rays exist at the same strength and intensity year round. They are considered a light x-ray and can penetrate through most light clothing, including hats. UVA impacts the body because it passes through the epidermis (the outer layer of skin, about as thin as a silk scarf) and down into the dermis, where it damages the DNA in the cells and increases the risk of malignant tumors. In addition, for those of you more concerned with keeping your youthful good looks, continued exposure to UVA rays causes the collagen and elastin in the dermis to shrink and crack, causing an aging effect. Also, your skin stops renewing itself around the age of 28, so any damage incurred past that will never be mended by the body. Preventing all of this should be worth the extra five minutes it would take to read some labels and make sure the product you purchase blocks UVA. The best UVA protection tends to come from Zinc Oxide, Avobenzone, and Ecamsole.

UVB rays only have the strength to penetrate into the epidermis. Also, these rays exist at a lower level during the winter months. However, as any skier can tell you, they are still around enough to cause some awful sun burns, not to mention classy raccoon looks for those who tan! Essentially, that is what UVB rays do, they stimulate the melanocyte cells to produce more melanin, giving a tan. In the process though, for some of us, they tend to cause bad sunburn first, even to the point of getting sun blisters.

Protection

In order to protect yourself you can choose two routes. A lot of outdoor clothing manufacturers are begining to create clothing that has the capacity to block these harmful rays, which is a good way to go for covering the majority of your body. For any exposed skin, you should apply a good sun screen prior to going outdoors. In addition, some studies have shown that sunscreen can lose its ability to protect you after as little as 20 minutes, faster if you are sweating. The recommendation, then, is to reapply sunscreen 15 to 30 minutes after your initial application, and then every 2 hours after that. Also, make sure to apply it liberally for the best coverage. The products that studies showed to have the longest lasting protection were those that included Mexoryl or Tinosorb.

You should also know that I found some controversy over potential negative health effects of some sunscreen products. Sunscreen can work by either blocking the rays, or absorbing them. There is quite the debate about their efficacy, and some studies showing that some products that lose their effectiveness quickly then actually allow more of the rays through to the skin.

And here I always thought Sun Protection was as simple as picking up some product at my local convenience store and globing it on!