Protect our skin from sun exposure

The beautiful season is finally here after the winter months and it's time to plan our holidays or at least some weekend vacation. In fact, the desire to spend more time in the open air, participating in those fun sports or simply enjoying the day with a good book. Sun exposure, however, also has some risks. Therefore it is important to protect your skin from too much sunlight and also prevent it from the aging process that is accelerated. 

So how can we do to protect our skin? Protecting our skin and dealing with facial care, especially in the summer, is a habit that we should do to keep our body healthy. A greater awareness of the risks and good habits is, in fact, the only thing we can do to avoid sun damage and enjoy a healthy sunburn.

Choose the right times 
Not just for children or the elderly, but we all should pay attention to when we expose ourselves to the sun. The advice is to the high noon, but to be even safer we can rely on some weather sites that work together with weather forecasts, to know which the exact times when we can safely go out depending on our time zone. 

Use the right sunblock 
Sun exposure is not a bad thing, but we need protection. To do that, it is crucial to choose and use a medium or high sun protection cream, especially for those who spend a lot of time in the sun or have a ‘weak' characteristic. 
Sunblock should be applied several times a day, every two hours if we sweat a lot or spend a lot of time in water like the sea or pool. However, we should not wear it excessively, because it will lead to another big problem. Apply sunblock adequately. 

The risk of Sunlight Exposure

What is the (negative) effect of solar exposure? 
Our skin is the part with a constant contact with the environment. For this reason, it is always subjected to touch and stimuli that can have both positive and negative affect. The effects of sunlight and artificial UV rays have been extensively studied in recent years and it has been shown that the sun exposure can result in serious damage to the skin. 
Specifically, UV rays affect the mitochondria, a part that is responsible for cellular respiration, located in the cells and the nucleus. It will result in the loss of skin elasticity and skin atrophy. But let's see what are the risks we would have by spending too much time in the sun without adequately protecting ourselves. 
Aging 
The main risk arising from a prolonged solar exposure is the aging process we have already mentioned. This is a change we can recognize by seeing, even with the naked eye, the difference between the exposed parts and the less exposed part. Moreover, the consequences may be more serious if we have spent too much time under sunlight throughout our life, and if we are "weak". Identified with having, blue, Green, gray eyes, and blond or red hair. 
Dermatologists identify six different photo types based on the individual characteristics and skin reaction to the solar exposure. The first ones, light or reddish, white skin are those considered "weak" and require higher protection. People with darker skin is more resistance to the sunlight exposure. 
There are also other factors that affect skin aging: first, age has a very important role to the condition in children and the elderly; Secondly, lifestyle and the type of work (the open-air professions) are more exposed than those who work in the office. 

Melanoma 
The most serious consequence of high sun exposure is skin cancer. According to a research, every year there are 3,150 new cases for men and 2,850 for women diagnosed with it, only in Italy. The most affected age range is between the ages of 45 and 50, but it is rapidly decreasing as well.
Although melanoma represents only 5% of all skin cancers and early diagnosis allows complete healing in 95% of cases, it is scientifically confirmed that UV exposure and, in particular, UV-A and UV- B is one of the reasons for melanoma. 

Raspberry Popsicles Recipe

Summer has come! When summer heat does not give you a rest, it's nice to have some Popsicles or ice cream. The important thing is to choose the healthy versions, that really contain fruit (and not essence) and have a little sugar. If you want one of these snacks at home it is best to spend some time to try it yourself in the kitchen, for example by making raspberry popsicle with Greek yogurt.  
The berries are known for their excellent beneficial properties moreover raspberries, in particular, help to prevent cardiovascular disease, combating diabetes and obesity. In addition, these small berries are also the source of antioxidant, that is capable of inhibiting the growth of cancer cells. 
Greek yogurt has a thick and creamy texture because it is made from whey. In addition to being tasty, it is highly digestible, strengthens our immune systems by protecting the health of the intestine and the intestinal bacteria. 
All you have to do is add a little sugar to the main ingredients to have a nice homemade ice cream.

The ingredients  
30 grams of sugar 
150 gr of raspberries  
50 ml water  
400 gr Greek yogurt  

The instructions

Pour sugar and water into a pan, put on stove and mix. Boil and cook for 5 minutes. 
Mix the raspberries (wash the first) with the syrup and pour into a bigger container and blend it all. 
In a bowl, use a hand mixer, mix the Greek yogurt to make it more creamy and then add the mixture to the sauce. 
With a spatula, mix until you have a marbled effect, then put the mixture in an 8 packs ice mold. 
Add the peels and then freeze for 3 hours or until they turn solid.