Sun protection for sports: what you should bear in mind

People who engage in outdoor sports need to think about sun protection. Although it’s nice to exercise outdoors – the sun is always there and it can be pitiless. This is because the UV rays of the sun are harmful to the skin and can lead to heatstroke, skin-ageing, sunburn and cell damage. The skin damage can be long term or even cause skin cancer, which is why sunburn should be avoided.

Even on cloudy days, up to 80% of UV rays come through the clouds, which you don’t always notice if you’re engaged in a sporting activity at the time. This makes it all the more important to protect yourself from the sun. As an athlete, there are a few things you have to bear in mind.

When it comes to outdoor sports, there is no single measure for the best sun protection. Rather, it is a combination of several measures that can together give you the best protection from the sun:

• Sunscreen: With sunscreen, areas of the body can be protected that are not covered by clothing, like the face, the ears and the hands. A good sunscreen should provide protection from UVA and UVB rays and, optimally, be specially formulated for sport. This means the sunscreen is waterproof and also sweat-resistant. This makes it perfect for water sports and also for other intense training sessions outdoors. It should have an SPF of at least 30 – an SPF of 50 offers even longer protection.
• Head covering: A head covering is essential to protect the head and the face from direct sun rays. A cap is ideal for keeping the sun off your face during sporting activities. A hat made of UV-protective materials can also be sensible, at least if it is compatible with the particular sporting activity.
• UV-protective clothing: UV-protective clothing consists of materials that block UV rays – and is specially developed for this purpose. The protection from UV rays is higher than with regular sports clothing, which is why it can be sensible to wear UV-protective clothing as sun protection for sporting activities if you spend a long time outdoors. UV-protective clothing, combined with sunscreen and a head covering, is sensible, especially whilst hiking, cycling or running.
• Sunglasses: Sunglasses protect the eyes from glare and can reduce the risk of eye damage. There are sunglasses for athletes that fit particularly close to the face or are fixed with a special strap so they don’t wobble, slip or bother you during sporting activities.

If you buy a sunscreen to wear as sun protection for sports, you should bear in mind various aspects:

• It should be sweat-resistant: After all, sporting activities often lead to sweat production on the skin, which can impair the sunscreen. A sweat-resistant sunscreen stays longer on the skin and provides good protection.
• It should be waterproof: Waterproof sunscreen is the a priority, especially when it comes to water sports. But even with other kinds of sports, the sunscreen should still be able to withstand contact with water due to sweating during sporting activities or if it rains.
• It should be well-tolerated: The sunscreen should not only be well-tolerated, but also be suitable for sensitive skin or skin that suffers from a sun allergy. Many brands offer sunscreens with hypoallergenic formulas, which make them well-suited to sensitive skin. And in case the sunscreen gets into the eyes through sweat, it shouldn’t burn. There are special sunscreens that are less oily and are absorbed well by the skin.
• In addition, make sure you also use special sunscreen for lips . The skin is especially thin in this area and when you spend time outdoors, the sun often shines vertically onto the sensitive skin. Lip balms with SPF 30 or SPF 50 not only provide the lips with valuable moisture but also protect them from UV rays.

UV rays are underwater and in the water. They reach below the surface of the water. So, with water sports you are not protected from the sun – to the contrary. The reflective effect of the water even strengthens the rays, which also represents an additional risk for the parts of the body outside of the water. Through the cooling effect of the water, the sun rays are also not noticed so intensely and you can quickly get sunburnt.

You can protect your skin with waterproof sunscreen, UV-protective clothing and a head covering. It is essential that your sunscreen states clearly that it is waterproof, as only then will it also actually work in water.

Waterproof means you can do two 20-minute swims and still have 50 percent left of the given SPF. If the label states “extra waterproof”, you can assume that 50% of the SPF is available after doing four 20-minute swims. And extra long-lasting waterproof means you can do six 20-minute swims and have 50 percent left.