The killer question: Do sunscreens prevent tanning?
updated the 14 July 2015 à 18:35We often tend to consider using sunscreen as counter-tanning. Yet the two are not incompatible. Professor Laurent Misery, dermatologist, explains.
We will not lie to you, applying sunscreen regularly does not help to achieve a tan. But protecting yourself from the harmful effects of the sun is not synonymous with alabaster complexion either. “Sunscreens are designed to protect the skin from sunburn and not to prevent tanning”, recalls Professor Misery. “Even if the two mechanisms are similar, they are not identical”. This is the famous distinction between UVA and UVB rays – which have different wavelengths and thus not the same effects – comes to play.
For a long time the UVB were considered to be responsible for sunburn and cancer. However, UVA, which are responsible for tanning, did not appear to pose any danger to the the skin. Therefore, manufacturers of sun creams offered only products capable of “cutting” UVB. It was later discovered that, over the long term, UVA could also damage skin cells and increase the risk of melanoma. The reign of the ‘total sunscreen’ then started until this term was forbidden later by health authorities because no cream will provide 100% protection against UV rays. They all still let in greater or lesser doses of UVA and B. It is thanks to this little flaw that you can be tanned while still relatively stay well protected. Provided, of course, you do not spend 10 hours a day lying on the sand in sunlight as in this case, no cream will not save your skin!
“The important thing is to choose a suitable protection for your skin type and sunlight. If you have normal skin and do not live in the tropics, an SPF 30 will do. Reapply regularly and you will be protected effectively and get a gradual tan which will last longer”, says Dr. Misery. On the other hand, for skin types 1 and 2 or those who live in areas with UV radiations, it is important to rather opt for an index of 50. In these cases, the key is not tanning but prevention of sun strokes and skin damage that can result from it.”
Maureen DIAMENT
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