How to protect your and your child’s skin from the sun?

You probably didn’t expect such a post from us, but it is strongly related to travel. In addition, we’ve been delving into such topics lately for different motives, so we’ll share some important information with you about tanning….

The topic of this post should be exactly how to protect the skin from the harmful effects of UVA and UVB radiation. And let me warn you that this is not a sponsored post and we have not entered into any cooperation with any manufacturer of tanning cosmetics. We were inspired for the post by Magpie, whose blog we highly recommend to you.

Summer, vacation, sea, beach and…. a beautiful bronze tan. We lie in the sun like those greaves in the frying pan just to give our skin a more vacation look, although some say they are just catching vitamin D…. Unfortunately, the truth is that a lot of sun exposure can do more harm than good, so in this post we’ll cover a very important topic: about how to take care of your skin, what filters to use and how to take care of those filters.

To start with a short story: there was a young couple who decided to go on a honeymoon to the Caribbean. A bargain in the form of cheap flights hit, so without hesitation they bought tickets to the hot Dominican Republic. Before flying out, they were faced with a choice of sunscreens, but without further ado they took with them: SPF 30 – for the first few days, SPF 10/15 – for later days, and finally (oh horror!) a tanning accelerator. Plus after-sun lotions. What was the effect? Wonderful! A beautiful bronze tan that lasted quite a long time. Unfortunately, it was a short-term effect, because in the long run their skin lost more than it gained, but they will probably find out in a few years ;)

The same couple, by chance, in an article came across a detailed description of how much harm tanning can do to us. What’s more, when they had a baby, the choice of cosmetics and sunscreen became a matter of utmost importance. And that’s when it really got to them and they understood what it was all about….

And today they want to share their own knowledge and insights with you ;-)

What’s the deal with the filters?

That’s right. During the summer, drugstore and supermarket shelves are overflowing with sprays, oils, lotions, milks or protective creams. We have accelerators, we have something before tanning and something after, something for adults and something for children, something for water and…. head bursts standing in front of such a shelf. So let’s start with the basics: which filter to choose?

Two radiations reach our skin: UVA and UVB, with the former accounting for 95% of ultraviolet radiation and the latter 5% (I would add that ultraviolet radiation is only 5% of the sun’s rays that reach the earth’s surface).

UVA radiation penetrates through clouds, clothing, glass and even the epidermis, so in essence we are exposed to this radiation even on cloudy days. They are not painful, they will not burn us, but they penetrate deep into the skin and in the long run lead to skin aging, loss of elasticity, the appearance of discoloration and even the development of cancerous lesions. We should also remember that the skin of about 28 years old, is already mature skin, which is slower to regenerate, and the damage remains for longer.

The situation is different with UVBs – although there are fewer of them, they do not penetrate the clouds, they are more painful, because they cause burns, but on the other hand it is thanks to them that a brown tan appears. It is UVB that predominantly causes skin cancer.

As you can guess, in order to get full protection from radiation we should think about both UVA and UVB. Now let’s look at our creams available in stores, what does it say on them?“SPF X“, “Photostable UVA and UVB filters”, “high/low protection from the sun’s harmful rays”.

And now the hit: that famous sun protection factor (SPF) that appears on every package protects only from UVB rays! Yes, they protect against this “painful” radiation, and used correctly they will make the skin not like cancer. However, if you would also like to take care of your skin and protect it from UVA as well, it is worth looking at the so-called “UVA”. PPD ( persistent pigment darkening) or IPD ( immediate pigment darkening) index, and you often won’t find these values on packaging. PPD tells us how many times less UVA radiation is absorbed by our skin.

Here, let me quote Sroka’s blog:

”It was calculated (also in general) what more or less UVB protection each SPF gives.

The situation is different for PPD – unfortunately, not every manufacturer provides this ratio. This can be roughly understood by looking at the ratios given by La Roche Posay.

Their
SPF 30 has a PPD rating of about 19
SPF 50+ for a PPD rating above 30
And this is already a significant difference.”

I reviewed several creams I have at home and even compared a few at the drugstore and found this value!

Soraya Lotion – SPF 10, PPD 8.
Soraya Lotion – SPF 6, PPD 3.

It also says next to it that SPF 6 blocks 83% and SPF 10 blocks 90% of UVB radiation, so this is a bit of an overstatement, though. However, it is worth noting that with almost twice the SPF, the PPD rate is almost 3 times higher. This confirms, however, that it is worth buying a sunscreen lotion with a higher SPF (by higher I mean higher than SPF 30).

However, if you don’t want to buy a cream with a higher SPF at all costs, it’s worth paying attention to the formulation, as some ingredients/filters protect against UVA rays, such as. Mexoryl, titanium dioxide, stabilized avobenzone. The entire list and an easy-to-read table are available here.

 

A post shared by Ready For Boarding (@readyforboarding) July 19, 2017 at 3:09 am PDT

 

What for the children?

So how do you protect your baby’s delicate skin? It certainly needs to be further protected from the aforementioned radiation. I have already written about the amount of SPF and definitely for children I recommend at least SPF 50. Fortunately, nowadays you can easily find a large selection of protective creams in stores. The problem begins if you have to choose one with a decent composition.

For infants are recommended so-called. physical filters, also known as mineral filters, which do not penetrate the epidermis, and work by creating an adequate protective layer on the skin that reflects the radiation (these you will sooner find in a pharmacy than in a drugstore).

It is a good idea to avoid ingredients that penetrate the bloodstream (including during pregnancy and breastfeeding).

Browner means better?

I have the impression that in Poland there is still a belief that there is no vacation without a tan. I observe a lot of people who come back sunburned, and to my comment that I see they didn’t save their skin, they just smile modestly and claim that they hardly sat in the sun. Did you know that in some countries dark complexion is a source of shame for many people? In China, for example, people protect themselves from tanning in every possible way, because if their skin takes on a darker hue it makes them more like people working in the fields!

We have only been paying more attention to filters for a few years now, and have only been significantly protecting ourselves from the sun for two years. Is it not too late? I don’t know, we’ll see, but I believe it’s never too late to change for the better. Of course, this does not mean that we sit in the hotel during trips between 11 am and 2 pm.

We like to lie on the beach, relax, read a book and do nothing (but not for too long!), but now we choose a place under an umbrella or trees. For the trip we take SPF 50 and 30, for Olive a 50.

In short writing, we follow a few rules:

1. We use decent filters, even when we don’t go to the beach. Mostly, and especially in the beginning, SPF 30.
2. Always take headgear (cap, hat).
3. If we go to the beach, pool, we always look for a place under an umbrella or a tree and it is in the shade that we spend most of our time.
4. Let’s hydrate! We drink very, very much water.

What to do with the cream after the vacations?

Throw it away or give it to someone who will use it up quickly. Admittedly, it depends on the cosmetic, as some can be stored long after opening (even 18 months), but some only 6 months.

Pay attention to the jar symbol on the package, because the number inside shows just how long after opening the product loses its properties. The loss of these properties is also affected by improper storage, so if you have left the cream in the sun for a long time then unfortunately there is a risk that it will no longer be as effective.

 

Conclusions?

The conclusion can only be one: let’s not be afraid of these higher filters, they are not just for children! When going on vacation, it is worth getting a good cream, because it is an investment in the good condition of our skin.

Healthy tanning is not just about avoiding burns, but also about ensuring that the skin remains firm, smooth and does not get discoloration, not to mention skin cancer.

We wish you healthy sunbathing!