Protection and moderation
To enjoy the hot embrace of the sun safely you should not act imprudently. Sunbathing is beneficial to your health only if you practise it moderately!
Overexposure to the sun is one of the main risk factors in the modification of the derma elastic fibre structure, favouring the appearance of wrinkles, premature aging and more serious cell modifications.
Proper exposure, instead, besides avoiding the noxious effects listed above, is a healthy, recommended practice, for the benefits it grants; the most remarkable are the following:
ANTIRACHITIC ACTION UVB rays trigger skin synthesis of D vitamin, essential to ensure bone strength.
ANTIDEPRESSIVE ACTION visible light allows to cure seasonal depression, influencing the secretion of brain hormones (among which the well-known melatonin) through retinal photoreceptors and the epiphysis.
HEATING ACTION infrared rays get deep into the skin, causing an increase in skin temperature.
PHOTOPROTECTIVE ACTION the aggression by ultraviolet rays triggers an adaptive photoprotection by a double process: the skin thickens (enhancing the protection factor by 3 / 4 times) and melanin production increases (enhancing the protection factor by 2 / 3 times).
THERAPEUTIC ACTION ultraviolet rays improve the course of several skin diseases (psoriasis, atopic dermatitis); sunrays, in fact, consist of pure energy, invisible yet powerful; for this reason they can be beneficial but also harmful. Use of a photoprotector is compulsory; for European sun-shielding products, the degree of UV ray filtering is expressed by a protection index ranging from IP 2 to IP 25, divided into 4 classes:
1) total or integral protection - IP 25 to IP 20
2) high protection - IP 20 to IP 15
3) medium protection or progressive tanning IP 15 to IP 6
4) weak protection or intense tanning IP 6 to IP 2
WARNING American protection indexes, instead, reach IP 50: therefore we recommend that you pay special attention, as the meaning of the index can differ depending on whether the brand is European or American! The photoprotector shall not be applied only once; we recommend that you repeat the operation every hour, and after you have finished swimming. The photoprotector must be applied half an hour before sunbathing. Product choice criteria are various, and change according to skin type, age and sunbathing habits. First of all we must distinguish between adult and child skin. As the cells responsible for suntan don't reach maturity until 14 or 15 years of age, children have no defence against sun radiations: for this reason, we recommend that you avoid direct exposure, and that in any case you always use a protection factor higher than the one suggested for adult people. From 2 until 14 or 15 we recommend that you use up to total protection filters.
The frequency of applications shall be increased from 11.30 in the morning, when sun radiation is most powerful. After the first, applications shall be performed every half hour. For adult skins, use products suitable for your phototype. If your skin doesn't get tanned and easily gets sunburnt, for the first few days use a ointment with an integral protection index. If your skin doesn't get very tanned and indeed often gets sunburnt the protection index shall remain high. For the skins that get progressively tanned and rarely get sunburnt use a medium PI product for the first few days, progressively reducing it in the following days. If your skin gets easily tanned and hardly gets sunburnt use a PI 12 /15 product for the first few days, then apply a PI 7, PI 5 and PI 3 milk and a PI 2 oil. Experts state that the actual effectiveness of sun products doesn't only depend on the choice of a product suitable for our phototype, but also on a safe and responsible application. To increase protection, use products with different PI according to the body area, the time of the day and the activity you are carrying out, often repeating the application as sweating, towel friction and bathing frequency can reduce its effectiveness.
Some suggestions to prevent small problems caused by the sun, like allergies, rashes and spots:
SUN ALLERGY it mainly affects women between 20 and 40 year old. Symptoms are blisters, spots and small rashes that cause intense itching. Affected areas are mainly the neck, the shoulders, the dιcolletage, the hand palms and the soles. To cure it avoid sun exposure for 8/10 days, and contact a dermatologist for an antihistaminic treatment, if necessary cortisone-based.
SOLAR HERPES it shows up a few hours after exposure, with intense itching around lips and nose, followed by the outbreak of pimples all over the face. Rashes will dry up and disappear after 8/10 days. To cure it dermatologists prescribe antipyretic pills or ointments. To prevent it we recommend that you often apply a sun shielding stick around lips and nose.
SUNSTROKE it shows up mainly during the first few days of exposure, or after a prolonged exposure, particularly in people with fair complexion. In the latter case the cause is low-quality pheomelanin, almost exclusively found in red- and fair-haired people, or, more rarely, in people with dark complexion and milky skin. To cure it stay in the shade, applying a soothing and cicatrising product on the affected area; in case of a serious sunstroke we recommend that you apply a cortisone-based ointment to alleviate the rash, and that you take aspirins and an anti-inflammatory to reduce the burning sensation. To prevent it we recommend that you liberally apply a product with a high protection index locally, before going to the beach. Repeat the applications regularly and frequently, even with waterproof products.
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