The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that all American adults get at least 150 minutes of moderately intense exercise each week. A common activity to reach this goal is outdoor jogging. While this activity provides a long list of benefits for your body, jogging unprotected outdoors, especially on hot days on an exposed running surface, can cause problems with sunburn, which in turn can increase your risks for skin side effects, including skin cancers.
Cause
When you jog outside, you constantly expose your skin to ultraviolet, or UV radiation. This is a form of radiation produced by the sun that we are unable to see. When the UV radiation hits your skin, the skin reacts by increasing its production of melanin, the substance that provides your skin with its color. This is meant to help protect the skin from the UV radiation, but it can only do so much before damage occurs to the skin in the form of a sunburn. Even if you're out jogging on a cloudy day you increase your risks for sunburn, because 90 percent of UV rays still pass through the clouds, according to MayoClinic.com.
Dangers
Occasionally developing a sunburn while jogging may not seem like a big deal. However, the longer you spend in the sun at a time, the more severe the sunburn can become. This increases your risks for the burning, swelling, itching, peeling and redness which develops with severe sunburns. Regular exposure to the ultraviolet radiation also increases your risks for developing skin cancer. UV radiation can damage the DNA of skin cells, causing them to grow abnormally and possible develop into deadly skin cancers like melanoma. The regular over-exposure to this radiation from jogging can also increase photoaging, or the accelerated appearance of aging on your skin.
Sunblock
The fear of a sunburn should not keep you from going outside and jogging. Instead, consider changing your routine to help prevent sunburns from developing. The main line of defense in this pursuit is sunblock. Sunblock should contain a sun protection factor, or SPF of at least 30, suggests the American Academy of Dermatology. This will help block the ultraviolet radiation from impacting your skin cells. Choose a waterproof or sport sunblock to help prevent the solution from dripping off as you sweat while jogging.
Other Prevention Strategies
Outside of sunblock, you can use other methods as well to help prevent sunburns while jogging. For example, try to limit the times you jog during the times of the day when the UV radiation is at its strongest, which is between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. When possible, wear long-sleeved shirts and running pants instead of shorts and short-sleeved shirts to further protect the skin. Also look for jogging trails that have tree cover, which can provide natural shade for your skin while out exercising.
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