Vacationers will soon invade the beaches and enjoy the sun. Although the importance of protecting yourself from UV rays is repeated every year, there are still many misconceptions about sun exposure and sun protection.
On the occasion of the 27th edition of the week of prevention and awareness of targeted screening for skin cancers, the National Union of Dermatologists Venereologists (SNDV) alerts the French to the risks linked to sun exposure, natural or artificial . Because every year, 100,000 new cases of skin cancer are detected. 1,800 people die every year from melanoma even though, if detected and treated in time, it is curable.
It is therefore essential to remember why it is important to protect your skin from the sun, even though 74%
of French people say they do not systematically protect themselves from the sun during their outdoor leisure or sporting activities, according to a 2023 Ipsos survey. Which index to use? Can you get sunburned even if there are clouds? We help you sort out fact from fiction.
Applying sunscreen prevents you from tanning FAKE.
” It’s wrong. Sunscreen never provides 100% protection and UV rays are never 100% blocked. We tan gradually, of course, but we avoid accelerating the aging of the skin,” notes Catherine Gaucher, dermatologist. It’s a bit like a filter. Of course, with equal exposure, we receive more UV without protection, but this mainly burns the skin more than we tan.
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Taking food supplements (or doing UV treatments) helps protect your skin from the sun FAKE.
“Food supplements do not protect the skin from UV rays, but help to prepare the skin, because they allow the cells to have all the elements (vitamins, trace elements) they need to better produce the melanin pigment and distribute it better. We can also eat fruits and vegetables with yellow, orange and red colors which contain beta-carotene, vitamins C and E helping the skin to prepare,” notes the dermatologist. Please note, they do not replace sun protection, which is mandatory in the sun.
On the other hand, UV rays do not prepare or protect the skin from the sun and are even not recommended because they are just as dangerous as natural UV rays for our skin.
You can get sunburned even if there are clouds TRUE.
The sun’s rays continue to pass through clouds and touch the skin as in sunny weather. The difference is that, like the wind, the clouds will bring a feeling of freshness making us less wary. “You can very well get a sunburn if you are in Brittany with a cold wind and a sea of 15 degrees,” adds Catherine Gaucher.
People with dark skin (or who have already tanned) do not need protection FAKE.
“It is true that when you have dark skin, you burn less quickly, you therefore notice it less quickly and you may be tempted not to wear anything,” confirms the dermatologist, who nevertheless advises you to always protect yourself. with a sunscreen “factor 20 or 30 is enough”. Just like when you have already tanned, you continue to protect yourself because exposure to the sun promotes skin aging.
You can get sunburned even in the shade TRUE.
Even under the shade of a parasol or tent, you can get sunburned. “Depending on the type of parasol canvas or fabric, the sun can pass through. If we are at the beach, the reflection of the sun on the water and the sand allows UV rays to reach our skin,” underlines the specialist. Even in the shade, double the protection and apply cream.
A moisturizer with sun protection is sufficient True and false.
There are many moisturizing creams or tinted creams containing SPF 15, 20 or 25. “This is sufficient to fight against skin aging in normal daily life, in the city, in a temperate climate, but not sufficient if the we are by the pool or at the beach,” warns Catherine Gaucher.
The higher the sun protection factor, the less need to reapply FAKE.
SPF is a measurement used to evaluate the effectiveness of a sunscreen against ultraviolet B (UVB) rays, which cause sunburn. A cream with SPF 50 blocks around 98% of UVB rays and a cream with SPF 30 blocks around 96% of UVB rays. Above all, you must choose the protection factor according to your skin, fair or dark. On the other hand, you must apply your cream at the same frequency, regardless of the index, i.e. approximately every two hours.
Getting a sunburn from time to time is not a big dealFAKE
. “When you get a sunburn on a given area of skin, it takes ten years at a time, it’s a burn, the skin will have lifelong after-effects,” warns the specialist. Furthermore, the more the skin is sunburned, the more the skin’s repair process becomes exhausted. A sunburn is never trivial, even more so during childhood. Be even more careful with the sun, especially on the skin of young people.
*Source: Ipsos 2023 union survey covering a national sample representative of the French population of 1,000 people aged 18 and over, from May 25 to 26, 2023, quota method.
