WHY TANNING IS OUT.

There is no safe way to tan. Every time you tan, you damage your skin. - American Academy of Dermatology

Tomas Salas

Every day, our beautiful sun emits two types of lights. The visible light is what we see and the ultraviolet light is what we don't see.

Ultraviolet light is divided into three subtypes:

1. UVC, which is the shortest rays and is almost completely blocked by the ozone layer. It is the least of our problem for now,
2. UVB, which gets through a little and can penetrate the surface of our skin. It is blocked by glass. It causes redness, sunburn, and skin cancer. It is prevalent during spring-fall from 10AM - 4PM. There is also a high prevalence in places with high altitudes and reflective surfaces like snow or ice. These surfaces can reflect UVB rays up to 80% causing anyone to get exposed twice.
3. And UVA, which is the longest wavelength that gets through the most and can penetrate the deeper layers of our skin causing freckles, sun spots, premature aging, wrinkling, loss of skin elasticity, and skin cancer. It is prevalent in all seasons and all times of the day. It can penetrate glass and clouds. UVA is the light that is commonly employed in sunbeds where a person would lie down literally inches away from a deadly radiation. According to WHO, the carcinogenic effect of a 10-minute exposure to the light of a sunbed is equivalent to 10 Mediterranean summer.

Staying out of the sun will not just protect us from burning and tanning but is also a way of delaying skin aging and cancer prevention. 

Have you ever left a saltwater soaked swimsuit to dry only to find out that the stitches on it became brittle? That's comparable to what happens to the skin under prolonged sun exposure. The fibers responsible for bouncy and plump skin loses its elasticity and becomes brittle. That's why tanned skin, over time, looks saggy and wrinkly. 

I'm not saying to avoid sun exposure at all cost. Sun rays also have its benefits like vitamin D production and mood improvement but tanning or burning our skin is not a requirement for that. In fact, we can get all the vitamin D our body can produce in one day with around half the time it takes for the skin to burn. Alternatively, vitamin D supplements can provide our daily requirement. Though medical advice should be sought first before starting on any kind of supplements. 

What can we do to protect ourselves?

SEEK SHADE.

Unless you reside in a cave, this is probably the BEST WAY to protect ourselves from the harmful UV rays. Between 10AM - 4PM, UV rays are the strongest so it is important to stay in the shadows. There is a rule that if your shadow is shorter than you are tall, that's when the sun is above you and UV exposure is high. On the other hand, if the shadow is taller than you are, then the UV exposure is low.

For those who can't avoid being out in the sun, wearing sunglasses and articles of clothing made of fabrics with Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) like hats and shirts would be very helpful.

APPLY SUNSCREEN.

Sunscreens allow us to stay under the sun for a limited time without the worry of getting burned. Though they provide protection, they do not completely block UV rays. In fact, no sunscreen is able to block 100% of UV rays coming from the sun. Also, applying sunscreen one time doesn't mean you can spend all day under the sun. Sunscreens rub off due to sweating and physical activities. It is recommended to re-apply it every two hours.

There are two things to take note of when choosing sunscreens - the UVB protection indicated by the Sun Protection Factor (SPF) while the UVA protection is indicated by Ultraviolet A Protection Factor (UVAPF) in the EU, the star rating in the UK, Protection Grade of UVA (PA) in most Asian countries, or the term broad spectrum in the US. We need to protect ourselves from both and thankfully, most sunscreen nowadays provides both UVA and UVB protection.

SPF values from 30 to 50 will already provide adequate sun protection when applied correctly. It takes around 6 tablespoons of sunscreen to cover all sun-exposed areas of the body of an average person.

For UVA protection, generally, the amount of protection present in the product should be at least 1/3 of the SPF protection. In most countries, it is regulated so we don't have to worry about calculating if it is within range or not.

In addition, sunscreens can either be physical or chemical.

Physical sunscreens are made of minerals such as zinc oxide, or titanium dioxide that deflect or scatter UV light away from the skin.

Chemical sunscreens, on the other hand, are made up of organic compounds that absorb UV rays and convert it to heat to be dispersed by the body. The most common chemical sunscreens used are octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate, octinoxate, Meroxyl SX, Meroxyl XL, Tinosorb M, and Tinosorb S.

I've made a table comparing the two.

I've tried both and I personally prefer chemical sunscreens, specifically Asian chemical sunscreen. I find that they are more elegantly formulated and also cheaper than the western counterparts.

I am currently using the Biore UV Watery Essence SPF 50 PA ++++ and its amazing and elegantly formulated. It's not oily and spread out easily. It goes very under foundation too.

Sunscreen does not offer full protection from the sun rather it is part of a, let's say, "full protection program." Seeking shade and wearing protective clothing and gears go hand in hand with sunscreen application.

As the old saying goes, prevention is better than cure. So put on that sunglasses, slap and spread that sunscreen and always remember that "if the shadow is short, seek shade."

Until the next post beauties! Ciao. x