We've spent our whole lives linking "tanned" with "healthy". And it's exactly the other way round.
A tan isn't a sign of health: it's your skin responding to an attack. Here's what really happens in the sun and how to enjoy summer without paying for it later – mostly for free, and mostly common sense.
What a tan really is
When you're exposed to the sun, your skin produces melanin, the pigment that darkens it. But it doesn't do it to make you look good: it does it as a defence mechanism against damage to your cells' DNA. In other words, a tan is your skin putting out a fire. It isn't health: it's a reaction to damage that's already been done.
What you don't see (and pay for later)
Sun damage builds up quietly. Over the years, photoageing appears: wrinkles, sagging, loss of firmness and those dark spots that turn up without warning. The eye area – the thinnest skin on your face – is one of the first to show it. Much of what we call skin "ageing" is, in fact, accumulated sun.
The menu for enjoying the sun without frying (from free to product)
1. Avoid the peak hours (free). Between 12 and 4pm the sun is at its strongest. The same time on the beach early or late in the day does far less damage.
2. Clothes, a cap and sunglasses. The best "sunscreen" is a T-shirt and some shade. Sunglasses also protect the thin skin around your eyes.
3. Hydrate inside and out. Sun and dry air leave skin feeling tight. Water and a simple moisturiser help it recover.
4. SPF on your face every day. Even if you're not going to the beach. It's dermatologists' number one tip for preventing dark spots and wrinkles: sunscreen on your face every day.
5. Look after your eye area – it shows it most. If you want to go a step further, this is where the eye cream and the tinted moisturiser come in – an option, not an obligation, for the area that's first to give away tiredness and sun.
FAQs
Does sunbathing age your skin? Yes. Accumulated sun exposure is the main cause of photoageing: wrinkles, sagging and dark spots.
Does a tan protect you from the sun? Very little. Melanin offers minimal protection; a tan is a sign that the damage has already happened, not a reliable shield.
Do I need sunscreen even if I'm not going to the beach? Yes. UV radiation reaches you on cloudy days and in the city too. A daily SPF on your face is the best prevention.
Why does the sun cause dark spots? The sun triggers uneven melanin production which, over time, builds up in certain areas and forms visible spots.
Enjoy the summer sensibly. And if the sun has already taken its toll, here's how to soothe sunburn.
A tan isn't healthy: what the sun really does to your skin
We've spent our whole lives linking "tanned" with "healthy". And it's exactly the other way round.
A tan isn't a sign of health: it's your skin responding to an attack. Here's what really happens in the sun and how to enjoy summer without paying for it later – mostly for free, and mostly common sense.
What a tan really is
When you're exposed to the sun, your skin produces melanin, the pigment that darkens it. But it doesn't do it to make you look good: it does it as a defence mechanism against damage to your cells' DNA. In other words, a tan is your skin putting out a fire. It isn't health: it's a reaction to damage that's already been done.
What you don't see (and pay for later)
Sun damage builds up quietly. Over the years, photoageing appears: wrinkles, sagging, loss of firmness and those dark spots that turn up without warning. The eye area – the thinnest skin on your face – is one of the first to show it. Much of what we call skin "ageing" is, in fact, accumulated sun.
The menu for enjoying the sun without frying (from free to product)
1. Avoid the peak hours (free). Between 12 and 4pm the sun is at its strongest. The same time on the beach early or late in the day does far less damage.
2. Clothes, a cap and sunglasses. The best "sunscreen" is a T-shirt and some shade. Sunglasses also protect the thin skin around your eyes.
3. Hydrate inside and out. Sun and dry air leave skin feeling tight. Water and a simple moisturiser help it recover.
4. SPF on your face every day. Even if you're not going to the beach. It's dermatologists' number one tip for preventing dark spots and wrinkles: sunscreen on your face every day.
5. Look after your eye area – it shows it most. If you want to go a step further, this is where the eye cream and the tinted moisturiser come in – an option, not an obligation, for the area that's first to give away tiredness and sun.
FAQs
Does sunbathing age your skin? Yes. Accumulated sun exposure is the main cause of photoageing: wrinkles, sagging and dark spots.
Does a tan protect you from the sun? Very little. Melanin offers minimal protection; a tan is a sign that the damage has already happened, not a reliable shield.
Do I need sunscreen even if I'm not going to the beach? Yes. UV radiation reaches you on cloudy days and in the city too. A daily SPF on your face is the best prevention.
Why does the sun cause dark spots? The sun triggers uneven melanin production which, over time, builds up in certain areas and forms visible spots.
Enjoy the summer sensibly. And if the sun has already taken its toll, here's how to soothe sunburn.