You emerge from your house like a bear hibernating in a cave all winter. With spring bringing its warm temperatures, you can’t wait to pursue athletics or start your garden.

When the sun starts shining again, it is time to break out the sunscreen. That’s because your skin is more likely to burn in those first few days of being outdoors since it hasn’t needed to protect your body as much from the UV rays.

If you live at a higher altitude, you should consider wearing sunblock or sunscreen all year.

Why Wear Sunscreen After Winter Ends?

When the world tilts to create the seasons, ozone changes occur in the upper atmosphere. As the temperatures grow colder, the protections you receive from UV radiation become less.

That means you can get a larger dose of UV rays in December without sunscreen as you do in June with an SPF 50 product.

Snow intensifies the sun’s rays when you’re outside, reflecting up to 90% of the initial UV exposure back to you. If you’re lucky enough to avoid an increased cancer risk, this issue creates problems with wrinkles and premature aging in almost everyone.

Don’t let the clouds fool you. Even on an overcast day, your skin needs the protection of sunblock to reduce your individualized risks of future disease.

What Sunscreen Should I Be Wearing?

When you go outside in the depths of winter, an SPF 30 product is usually strong enough to protect your skin from the UV rays. As spring starts to settle in with its warmth and longer days, you’ll want to push up to an SPF 40 product.

As summer starts arriving, that’s when you want to upgrade to the maximum protection levels possible.

If you don’t want to wear sunblock in winter, long sleeves and facial coverings can provide some protection. You should still wear something on your exposed skin to prevent wrinkles and other potential health issues.