When sun protection on skin type pay attention

Sunburn risk not only during long sunbathing

04/24/2013

Finally spring, finally sun - as soon as the first warm days are over, life is increasingly starting to fall outside and people are glad that at last some air gets back to the body. But who likes to sunbathe, should pay attention to which skin type he counts and how long he can accordingly stay in the sun without risking sunburn - this can not only be caused by too long lying on the beach or in the pool, but also easy by running too long through the sun, because "many are unaware that they are in the sun as soon as they go out," reports Dirk Meyer-Rogge from the Professional Association of German Dermatologists (BVDD) in Berlin to the German Press Agency (dpa).

Do not neglect sunscreen!
Accordingly, the sunscreen should not be neglected - in the best case, to avoid the strong sun in the noon time and to pay attention in the choice of clothing that arms, legs and head are protected and sunglasses are worn. Children should also wear hats with neck protection and UV-proof clothing, advises Dirk Meyer-Rogge.

Furthermore, the use of sunscreen is essential, with Heike Stahlhut from the German Green Cross in Marburg recommends to the dpa to apply the sunscreen 30 minutes before going out, because then the protection could effectively work as soon as the skin comes into contact with the sun's rays on the other hand, if it has been briefly or even directly air-freshened, the sunscreen may not be sufficiently effective. Afterwards, the expert should be re-creamed after every two to three hours - whoever was in the water, however, must renew the protection directly after the bath or use waterproof sunscreen products from the outset. According to Dirk Meyer-Rogge, this applies in particular to products with chemical filters, because creams with mineral filters would have a direct effect - in this case, the use of the sunscreen should not save money: „Adults should take a total of six teaspoons of sunscreen“ advises Meyer-Rogge, with the expert here starting from painted teaspoons.

The skin type determines who can stay in the sun without protection for how long
Who can stay in the sun for how long without sunscreen, without getting a sunburn - nobody can influence that, but depends on the skin type. According to the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), a distinction is normally made according to the classification between six different types developed by the American dermatologist Thomas Fitzpatrick in 1975, whereby it should be noted that „The classification of skin types is relatively coarse“, the transitions are fluent.

Differentiation of six different skin types
As skin type I („Celtic type“) are people with a very light, extremely sensitive skin, light-colored eyes, red-haired hair and freckles that usually do not turn brown and quickly get sunburned.
Skin Type II is the so-called „Northern European type“, with light, sensitive skin, light hair and light eyes, which only tans slowly and often gets sunburned
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The skin type III („mixed type“) is characterized according to the BfS by medium-light skin, brown hair and light to dark eyes. This guy tans slowly and only gets a sunburn sometimes.

Skin type IV („Mediterranean type“), however, can tan quickly and deeply and rarely get sunburned - this type usually has a brownish, less sensitive skin, dark brown or black hair, and dark eyes.

The skin type V („Dark skin type“) is characterized by dark, less sensitive skin, black hair and dark eyes and rarely gets sunburned.

Skin type VI („Black skin type“) is characterized by black, less sensitive skin, black hair and dark to black eyes. This skin type rarely gets sunburned.

For children generally use products with a higher SPF
Which skin type can stay in the sun for a long time until it has to reckon with a sunburn, that varies greatly: According to the BfS - with a UV index of eight - the values ​​range from less than ten minutes for skin type I to more than 30 Minutes and more for skin type IV up to 90 minutes and more for skin type VI. In order to be able to protect themselves accordingly, the personal self-protection time must be known, Heike Stahlhut told the dpa. If these are multiplied by the sun protection factor (SPF) of the cream, this would result in the period in which no risk is to be expected in the sun - "However, the calculation only goes up to a sun protection factor of 20 to 25," explains the expert. Therefore, children should generally be creamed with SPF 30.

For dry skin use creams, for greasy skin use gels or spray
In adults, however, according to Heike Stahlhut in most cases, SPF 25 would be sufficient - in the face, however, according to Elena Helfenbein from the VKE Cosmetics Association in Berlin, at least SPF 30 should be used, in freckles even SPF 50 is recommended. The best way to cream yourself depends on the type of skin: Whilst a milk or lotion is generally easy to spread due to the high water content, it is very easy for people with dry skin to use creams because they contain more fat. If you prefer greasy skin, Stahlhut advises you to use greasy gels or sprays that have a cooling effect.

Better protection with antioxidants
However, according to Dirk Meyer-Rogge, the protection could be further optimized by applying antioxidants - because the active ingredients such as vitamin C, vitamin E and selenium would protect the skin from the so-called „free radicals“ Protect caused by UV radiation and age the skin faster. Antioxidants are usually absorbed through the diet (mainly through fruits and vegetables), but in addition, they are also available as a component of cosmetic products in pharmacies, which would normally only be applied once per sun bath. As far as cosmetics are concerned, according to Elena Helfenbein, the use of sunscreen is by no means a waiver of make-up - however, this should only be applied after the sunscreen, and anyway, the day cream should not be dispensed with. And also the lips should not be neglected, because these need special protection - here are Lipsticks with SPF 50 in drugstores or pharmacies available.

In case of sunburn, cooling and care are important
According to Elena Helfenbein, cooling creams and after-sun products provide relief when a sunburn occurs, as well as a wet kitchen towel as a first aid measure. On the other hand, Dirk Meyer-Rogge strongly advises against the use of rechargeable batteries, such as those used for cool boxes, because they could even cause frostbite. Instead, in addition to the corresponding products, a lot of fluid should be taken and in case of severe sunburn or increasing complaints, a doctor must be consulted. To maintain the burnt, dry skin on the face, Elena Helfenbein recommends active ingredient concentrates and moisturizing creams, who would like to conceal the redness with make-up should, according to the expert to strongly opaque makeup or so-called „camouflage“ grab, so particularly resistant cosmetics, which has a higher pigment density than conventional products and thereby withstand even weather or body fluids. (No)