Healthy Strategies for vacation--consider the sun

      Consider the sunshine and prevent sunburn.  During our St Thomas vacation, we were vigilant about using sunscreen frequently.  We had bought new sunscreen this year and used over half the bottle while we were gone.  When you go to the tropics, the sun is more intense and can burn you.  We received good advice from experienced travel friends for our eight hour catamaran sailboat excursion:  use sunscreen and wear a long sleeved light (white) shirt, pants, sunglasses and a hat to protect from the fierce Caribbean sunshine. According to the American Academy of Dermatologists, the best sunscreens protect against both UVA and UVB rays.  The amount of sunscreen we should use is “one ounce, enough to fill a shot glass, is considered the amount needed to cover the exposed areas of the body.  Adjust the amount of sunscreen applied depending on your body size…Apply the sunscreen to dry skin 15 minutes BEFORE going outdoors…Reapply sunscreen approximately every two hours or after swimming or sweating heavily according to the directions on the bottle.”  http://www.aad.org/media-resources/stats-and-facts/prevention-and-care/sunscreens