During this summer period, all sorts of advice is flourishing on social networks to take care of your body and your tan. Be careful, some tutorials are to be avoided, especially those of influencers who invite you to make “homemade” sun products.
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It is considered to give a healthy glow, it is good for morale and is the body’s primary source of vitamin D, but it can be dangerous if overused. Here are some preconceived ideas dismantled to help you make the most of the sun.
No, sunscreen does not prevent tanning.
Videos on social media offering vegetable oil mixtures to tan faster continue to circulate. However, these recipes are dangerous because they suggest that you can expose yourself without sunscreen. They are based on the misconception that sunscreen prevents tanning. However, even with a high protection factor, melanin production does not stop. The role of sunscreens is to absorb or reflect UV rays that reach the surface of the skin, but they do not slow down melanin production, and, since not all UV rays are blocked by sunscreens even with an SPF of 50, the tanning reaction continues, while reducing the risk of cancer.
Let us recall that, according to figures from the National Cancer Institute, the number of new cases of skin cancer has more than tripled over the last 30 years. Doctors diagnose around 200,000 cases each year in France and 85% of these cancers are attributable to excessive exposure to UV rays.
Do UV cabins prepare you for tanning?
No, that’s not true. Even though 1 in 5 French people believe that artificial UV rays are less harmful than the sun, the reality is that they are just as carcinogenic. Studies show that people who have used tanning booths at least once before the age of 35 increase the risk of developing skin melanoma by 59%. Moreover, in France, ANSES (National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety) recommends banning these tanning booths…
Do self-tanners reduce sun capital?
No, absolutely not because their mechanism of action is not based on UV rays. These products act by a chemical phenomenon that colors the dead cells on the surface of the skin, so they do not act on the production of melanin.
Can you be allergic to the sun?
Yes, lucites can occur during the first sun exposures, in the form of red patches or small white itchy spots. In general, it is a temporary reaction. It can be prevented by exposing yourself gradually.
