Pharmacists Speak Out: Summer Health Tips!
Summer is officially here and if you've stepped outside recently, you can definitely feel the heat!
While some of our normal summer activities have been altered due to COVID-19, our family has still tried to take advantage of being outside as much as we can. We have taken approximately 18,395 walks (a slight exaggeration), and tried to enjoy some social distance time at the lake on the weekends. We've heard of people taking up kayaking and camping to enjoy the outdoors during this time too!
With more time outside, we wanted to give you a few tips and pieces of information that we've put into practice to stay safe and healthy this summer!
1. MEDICATIONS
(We're pharmacists...you knew this would be a topic, right?!)
Some medications can cause photosensitivity, meaning, it increases your risk of developing a sunburn while outdoors. A common medication that causes this is doxycycline, an antibiotic used for various infections. You may want to apply sunscreen more frequently if you are taking this medication.
2: STORAGE
Most medications should be stored at room temperature or some (i.e. insulins) should be stored in a refrigerator.
Make sure that your medication is not in a place of extreme hot temperatures or in direct sunlight. Our prescription bottles here at Lawrence Drug are tinted to help with that! But for medications that are not already in bottles, like inhalers, make sure you keep those in a nice cool place!
3. SUNSCREEN
There is much to say about sunscreen, but to best help you and your family we are covering critical information about chemical sunscreens vs. mineral sunscreens!
Chemical sunscreens have various chemicals (oxybenzone is a big one) in them that are absorbed by the multiple layers of your skin. The UV rays from the sun are then absorbed and dispersed.
Mineral sunscreens differ in the fact that they do not contain those chemicals and they serve as more of a protectant that sits on top of the skin, reflecting the UV rays off of your skin’s surface.
The mineral sunscreens often will contain zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide which have been shown to be much safer than the ingredients found in chemical sunscreens.
We have sold Blue Lizard, a mineral sunscreen, at our pharmacies for the past few years and LOVE their product (It is also our family’s preferred sunscreen, even for our children)!