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Protecting the Skin While Gardening

Steven Armus

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For more than 15 years, Dr. Steven Armus has worked as an entrepreneur in the medical and land restoration fields. The owner of Native Prairie Restoration, he remediates areas such as ponds and prairies and helps to return them to a more natural state. Alongside his work with this business, he served as the director of Great Lakes Dermatology until 2015. In his free time, Dr. Steven Armus enjoys gardening.

When gardening, a person should take precautions to ensure their skin is not damaged by the sun. One way to do this is by wearing a broad-brim hat. These types of hats shade the head from nearly any angle so that the skin of the face and neck is protected. However, even with a hat it's still important to apply sunscreen on the face. Gardeners need sunscreen that is at least SPF 15 to ensure proper protection, and should also wear UV-blocking sunglasses to protect their eyes and eyelids.

On the rest of the body, gardeners should protect their skin as much as possible by covering up. Long-sleeved shirts and pants are best, as they also help prevent wind burn or irritation from garden chemicals. These clothing items should also be light in color so they don’t attract mosquitoes. If gardeners need to wear shorts or short sleeves, they should apply sunscreen and insect repellent to any exposed areas and be careful to avoid any poisonous plants growing in their garden. It’s also important for gardeners to wear gloves to protect the hands.
Gardeners should also avoid wearing any fragrances while working outside. Doing so attracts bugs and may cause a rash if the fragrance reacts with the sun. Finally, it’s wise to have a good quality gardening cushion to keep the knees from becoming dry and to always wash clothing items after gardening to remove plant oils and other possible irritants.