Dr Trupti D Agarwal, Consultant Dermatologist, Kokilaben Hospital, Mumbai, clears the air on a social media trend
Of late, social media is full of advisories on how you should get a base tan, or expose your body to the sun for a certain amount of time to brown it as in sunbathing, before a beach vacation. This, its practitioners think, will protect them from skin damage despite a wider exposure to the sun and help them go without slathering sunscreens frequently.
First of all, the tanning process itself may cause skin damage. There are usually six skin types, some of which tend to burn on exposure and some which get tanned. Prolonged sun exposure, even with protective oils, serums, creams and lotions, is harmful to any skin, no matter what its colour.
For a base tan, some opt for sunbathing, others opt for indoor tanning. But both give off harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation that affects your skin, be it the ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation, which can pass through glass, and ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation, which cannot. Exposure to either kind of UV radiation can lead to skin damage. The logic is that exposure activates melanin that protects your skin from dangerous rays, gives the skin a darker colour and forms an armoured layer. However, melanin does not adequately protect your skin from sunburn. And, exposing yourself to such UV radiation causes long-term damage to the skin, including skin cancer.
Second and most important, a base tan affords almost no protection against ultraviolet exposure. A base tan has a sun protection factor (SPF) of a value lesser than 5. So you will still require a sunscreen of anything between SPF 35 to 50 to prevent sunburn and skin damage. That’s why we recommend that you use sunscreens of SPF 50 while going outdoors and if you have prolonged exposure, reapply them every hour. Even if you apply SPF 60, regular sun exposure of 10 minutes for four days are enough to give you a tan and damage your skin. That’s why covering yourself somewhat when out is important to avoid sunburns. Also remember, that splashing about in the water needs a waterproof sunscreen too.
Most importantly remember that no tan, a base tan or otherwise are safe for you. Decades of studies have shown that direct, unprotected exposure to UV radiation from the sun or indoor tanning increases your risk for both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers. In fact, UV radiation is categorised as a human carcinogen by the US Health and Human Services Department and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
If your skin is damaged, consult a dermatologist. Avoid astringent, toner and any other irritants on the skin, even cream.
