After a few wintry spells, spring is becoming more and more widespread. And with it the intensity of the sun.
Anyone who has ever been on a mountain in bright sunshine and forgotten to apply sun cream knows the consequences. The skin reddens, tightens and hurts, begins to peel after a few days - and in the long term even increases the risk of skin cancer. The classic sunburn. But why is the sun's rays so much more intense in the snow?
One decisive factor is the so-called reflection. Fresh snow can reflect up to 80-90% of incident UV radiation. This means that the skin is not only exposed to the sun directly from above, but also from below and from all sides. In a sense, you are standing in a "snow solarium" without immediately realizing it. What's particularly tricky is that the temperatures don't give you any idea of this - the cooling air belies how strong the UV exposure actually is.
Added to this is the altitude: the intensity of the UV radiation increases with every meter of altitude, as the atmosphere becomes thinner and filters less radiation. Even at 1,500 to 2,000 meters, the exposure is significantly higher than in the lowlands. In combination with the reflective snow cover, this creates a particularly strong overall effect.
If you want to protect yourself from the sun, you shouldn't skimp on sun cream. Not only in spring, of course, but also throughout the rest of the year. But how long has sun cream actually been around?
