Tackling the Topic of Sunscreen
With your Southeast Regional Ag News, I am Haylie Shipp. This is the Ag Information Network.
Working in the sun? ‘Tis the season! Have yourself protected from its harmful effects? That’s right – this is me mothering you on today’s program!
By career, Dr. Ashley Sturgeon is a dermatologist. By lifestyle, she is the wife of a cotton farmer who’s learned some tips and tricks about being safe in the farm world…
“So my favorite thing is protective gear. I think that it’s really cumbersome for folks who are in the sun all the time to have to worry about sunscreen. I think that sunscreen is an essential part of protecting your skin from the sun, but the very best thing, I think, are these UV protective-factor shirts, wide brim hats.”
She also says that, with sunscreen, reapplication is the name of the game…
“Using different modalities are really helpful for farmers because they don’t want something that’s going to get dirt stuck in it and be really greasy, so sometimes it is worth it to pay a little more for a more elegant sunscreen. Mineral-based sunscreens don’t burn the eyes as much when you sweat, so I find those to be useful.”
She did advise that spray sunscreens are great, but wanted you to realize that the coverage isn’t as good as a lotion. However, she added that the best sunscreen is the one that you’ll actually use.
