It’s that time of the year when dermatologists reiterate the use of sunscreen to save your skin from premature ageing and protect against under-reported skin cancer. Yet, is sunscreen safe for long-term use, considering the US Environmental Working Group (EWG), on its website, has expressed concern that some chemicals may mimic hormones? No one has a clear answer, so here, the basics you should know about sunscreen.
The first screen is physical
It takes us back to what our grandparents did when they stepped out into 40-degree heat. “Ayurveda asks us to dress in light colours that cover the body, the head and face, blocking both excessive heat and light.
The science also asks us to carry an umbrella,” says Dr Sahana Kumar, medical officer and skincare consultant, Institute of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, Bengaluru. It’s still good to take in morning and evening sun, while avoiding harsh sunlight at its peak times, she says.
In fact, these measures contribute to 80% of sun protection, while sunscreen accounts for just 20%, says Prof Neena Khanna, a dermatologist in the department of dermatology and venereology, AIIMS, Delhi. She prescribes sunscreen only for those who have photosensitivity and pigmentary melasma, both sun-caused. She goes a step further in saying that sunscreens are being pushed onto Indians by the pharma and cosmetics industries purely for profits.
Sun protection is preventive
Both traditional and modern practices aim at being protective. Ayurveda concentrates on reducing the burning sensation, and keeping skin supple, through pre-stepping-out skin rituals. The allopathic-medicine ask is to use sunscreen to prevent UV (light) rays from causing long-term damage to skin and to prevent skin cancer. Indian skin is thicker than Caucasian skin and our melanin forms little umbrellas to protect the deeper layers, during sun exposure, says Dr Deepali Bhardwaj, a Delhi-based dermatologist, so we don’t have to go nuts about reapplying sunscreen every two hours, except if we’re in the water, on sand or snow. With skin types 4 and 5, we are much less susceptible to skin cancer, says Prof Khanna. But Dr Kiran Lohia, who has a private practice in Delhi, says sunscreens in India are prescribed as an anti-ageing method. A number of her patients who come in with sun-related damage (like pigmentation) often benefit from just using sunscreen. But no, it does not reduce tanning.
Sunscreens come in types
There are two types: mineral (sometimes called physical or reflective — the type used by sportspeople) and chemical (sometimes called organic). “It can be helpful to think of organic filters as sponges, mopping up the UV radiation, and inorganic filters as mirrors, bouncing UV straight back off the skin,” says the British Association of Dermatologists. Dermatologists today prefer to avoid chemical ones because they have seen allergies, and the EWG asks people to avoid anything with oxybenzone in it. Sunscreens come in lotions, creams, sticks, gels, oils, butters, pastes, sprays. Sprays aren’t suitable for the face because you don’t want to get it into the eyes, and wipes, towelettes, powders, body washes, or shampoos are not okayed by the FDA. Nor are baby or sport-tagged ones. “Some people, especially those allergic to sunscreen, find Lacto Calamine or aloe vera gel (check the label to make sure it’s pure) works for them, as long as it’s three times your finger tip,” says Dr Bhardwaj.
There are guidelines
Dr Lohia says we need two tablespoons from ear to ear, forehead to chin. She says you should put it on in the morning and afternoon, whether you step out in the sun or not. She’s against combo products: SPF in lotions and lip balms, for instance, which she says are “often just a marketing gimmick”.
You can go the natural way
Ayurveda asks us to use cooling oils, such as castor, or formulations such as madhuyashtyadi thailam and manjishtadi thailam(both easily available either online or a neighbourhood traditional medicine stockist). “These must be rubbed daily all over the body 30 minutes before a bath. Wash it off with green-gram powder,” says Dr Kumar. So when you step out, your body is already cooled and you’re not easily burnt. If you’ve spent a long time in the sun, an immediate application ofraktachandana (red sandalwood) with a pinch of turmeric works well to restrict any harm the sun’s rays may do. Make a mixture with milk, smear on the face and areas that were exposed, let it dry and wash off with cool water. But if you are going natural, then do remember that umbrella and cover-up.
Internal sunscreens work too
Powerful antioxidants, vitamin A and C help fight sun damage from within. Seasonally available musk melons and citrus fruits are rich sources of C, while fruits and veggies in the yellow-orange-red spectrum give beta carotene, converted in the body to A, says Anju Sood, a Bengaluru-based dietician. That and hydration.
