Enjoy The Sun: 4 Rules For A Safe And Beautiful Tan

Sunburn gives freshness to the appearance, replenishes the reserves of vitamin D in the body and simply gives a great mood. Cons: the sun's rays can bring a lot of trouble to your skin. Therefore, it is very important to follow a number of rules and not expose your body to unnecessary stress. How to make the sunbathing process as safe and effective as possible - we figured out together with Elena Viskova, a dermatologist-cosmetologist at the Semeynaya clinic.

A bit of theory

Sunburn is a natural reaction of the skin to sun exposure. The pigment melanin plays an active role in it: it is he who begins to be produced in the body at the first contact with ultraviolet light. The more melanin a person has, the higher the likelihood that his tan will be intense, dark. If there is little pigment, the risk of getting a burn automatically increases. So, dark-skinned people tan faster and rarely burn out, and fair-skinned blondes and redheads often suffer from redness after being on the beach and do not immediately acquire the desired golden skin tone. The latter need to especially carefully follow the rules of behavior in the sun, protect themselves with sunscreens, clothes made from natural fabrics and hats.

Sun and safety

True, all of the above does not mean at all that protection from the sun's rays is needed exclusively for white-skinned and fair-haired people: everyone needs to follow the update of Sanskrin, wear dark glasses and the right clothes. But is it worth going to the sea at all if the sun is such a threat? Is there any benefit from such a rest?

Of course, proper and safe exposure to the sun has a beneficial effect on the body, because it is thanks to the sun's rays that vital vitamin D is synthesized in the body - the basis of our immunity. It promotes the absorption of useful minerals: calcium, phosphorus and other important substances. Without the sun, the body will suffer from a lack of strength and energy, which can ultimately lead to depression. Have you noticed how the appearance of the skin improves when it takes on a golden hue? Compliance with safety measures will help you protect yourself from the development of a variety of dermatological problems, including malignant tumors.

How to prepare your skin for the beach season?

If you want your skin to be fully armed before sunbathing and thank you with a beautiful tan, you should prepare for them in advance.

Recommendation 1. Workout

Have time to sunbathe on your balcony or at your dacha before heading out to the beach in Egypt, Croatia or Cuba. In our strip, the sun is less intense: it will help to "wake up" the skin a little before the active beach season.

Recommendation 2. Food

Nutrition will help you get a beautiful tan and not burn. Add freshly squeezed carrot juice, apricots, spinach (vitamin A) to the diet, eat meat dishes, liver with broccoli and tomatoes (vitamin B), do not ignore vegetable oils, nuts, beans (vitamin E), fish, seafood (vitamin D), cheese, milk, eggs, carrots, potatoes, parsley (vitamin PP). A balanced diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, adherence to a drinking regime will increase the quality of tanning (read also: "Eat and sunbathe: 10 foods for a beautiful tan"). At the same time, alcoholic beverages, an abundance of sweets and heavy spicy, smoked food will hinder the functioning of the body, as a result of which melanin will be produced more slowly, and the likelihood of getting a burn will increase.

If you start taking beta-carotene capsules 2 weeks before sun exposure, you will get a beautiful tan.

Recommendation 3. Peeling and skin nutrition

Approximately a couple of weeks before departure, you can start preparing your skin for sunbathing. Use a gentle scrub or exfoliation every 3-4 days to cleanse your skin for a smoother tan. During rest, it is better to cancel any beauty treatments that injure the epidermis. It is better to take moisturizing and soothing creams and lotions with you.

At this time, you should also not do salon acid peels. From mid-March to October, while there is relatively much sun in our latitudes, they are contraindicated. Before the trip, it will be useful to moisturize the skin with hyaluronic acid products, but remember that all injection procedures must be excluded 2 weeks before sun exposure.

Recommendation 4. Don't forget about epilation

As for removing unwanted hair, you can safely use the method you are used to. If you use a razor, be sure to put it in your suitcase - you will likely need it more than once during your vacation. And shugaring, wax or laser hair removal will allow you to forget about unwanted hairs for at least 2-3 weeks.

How to behave on vacation:

Sunbathe in the morning and evening, before 12 noon and after 5 pm to avoid getting burned.
Use sun protection creams whenever you leave the premises: on the beach, on a walk, on an excursion.
If you have fair skin, use high-protection sunscreen. This also applies to those who have many moles on their bodies.
If you have dark skin, then a couple of days after arrival, the SPF level can be reduced to 20-30 (read also: "Sunscreen for the face: 20 best options for UV protection").
Remember to renew the cream every 2-3 hours and after bathing.
Rinse off salt water in a fresh water shower, otherwise you risk burns from crystallized salt on your skin
After sun exposure, the skin needs to be hydrated. Leaders in efficiency are gels with aloe vera and dexpanthenol ("Bepanten", "Pantoderm").
And don't forget: you run the risk of burnout if you spend a lot of time in the sun on the first day. Take special care of your nose, shoulders, chest, as these are most susceptible to burning.