To know you can tan with sunscreen SPF 30, you must dig deeper into understanding how sunscreens work. A lot of this depends on the level of sun exposure you put yourself through.
But some people do not want to get tanned at all, so we will see what can be done to prevent tanning. Firstly, let’s figure out what SPF is and why we need to use it. We often want to tan our bodies by basking under the sun. But excess of it can also get you a sunburn.
During summers, we all want to get sun-kissed, get amazing pictures by the beach, play outdoor games, or chill in the pool. While doing all this, we tend to forget to care for our skin.
Excessive exposure to the sun can burn your skin, which can be painful. To rescue you from that, sunscreen with SPF can save you to some extent. SPF has a sun protection factor that can help you prevent skin damage.
If you’re someone who waits for summers to get tanned, you need to know that excessive tanning is associated with multiple skin problems like wrinkles and sunspots.
As you read further, all your doubts about tanning and using sunscreen with SPF will end. Also, some amazing tanning options and ways to protect yourself from sun exposure exist.
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Importance of using a sunscreen
Sunscreen is easily available to protect your screen from harmful UV rays. Whenever you go to a dermatologist for any skin-related issue, they will first ask if you use sunscreen.
Sunscreen should be used not only when you’re out but also when you are chilling at home. Exposure to UV rays is unfavorable, resulting in lifelong effects on the skin.
Below are a few of the benefits of using sunscreen regularly:
Preventing sunburn
Sunscreens are the most effective way to prevent sunburn during heat waves. Excessive exposure to the sun can give you some painful sunburns, which take days to heal and may also leave marks.
Aging
Well, isn’t it wonderful to look younger and healthier than your age by just using sunscreen? The sun can damage tissues and collagen of your skin, causing wrinkles. You can prevent this by applying sunscreen regularly.
Reducing Sunspots
While using sunscreen, do not forget the body. The hands, legs, shoulders, and neck also need protection from UV rays. Hyperpigmentation causes sunspots, which can happen anywhere in your body, not just on your face.
Preventing skin cancer
Cancer is one of the most dangerous diseases, and UV rays can enhance the chances of having them. As per studies, the Centres for Disease Control recommends the use of sunscreen as it can prevent you from getting skin cancer.
Hence, prevention is always better than cure. It is surprising to know what sunscreen can do and how it can save you from some life-threatening diseases.
Healthy blood vessels
UV rays can potentially damage the blood vessels of the skin called telangiectasias. This causes the blood vessels to thin, resulting in bruised skin, which may also appear to be bleeding.
Does sunscreen prevent tanning?
You cannot control tanning completely with sunscreen. This alternatively answers can you tan with sunscreen SPF 30? The answer is yes. But it can control other skin damage like sunburn and sunspots.
It is just like a shield for the skin. The tanning may not be as much as it should have been without applying sunscreen. Even a minimum of SPF 15 can be used regularly to control the damage of UV rays.
Tanning is a form of sun damage to get a flawless glow. However, when you tan under the sun, it is different from tanning at a parlor.
You must be thinking about whether you can tan with sunscreen SPF 30. Of course, yes. The tanning gets slower with sunscreen but saves you from patchy, damaged skin.
How UV rays harm our skin
The UV rays get absorbed by sunscreen before reaching your skin. UVA and UVB are two kinds of UV rays that harm the skin.
The outermost part of your skin is prone to sunburn caused by UVB rays. Whereas UVA rays can penetrate your skin as it has a longer wavelength to cause skin cancer.
Sunscreen is not seasonal, so it is not only for the summer months. It would help if you used it every day, irrespective of the season, unless you live in the Equator. If where you stay, the sun rises every day, then the UV rays exist throughout. So, you need to apply sunscreen whenever you go under the sun.
The ratings on the sunscreens relate to only UVB rays. However, sunscreens can protect you from the larger spectrum. Hence these SPF numbers tell you the percentage of the UVB rays it can block. A higher SPF depicts more protection from the sun.
So to get a healthy tan, you need to use sunscreen with low SPF, so the basic is covered and you also get a tan. However, if you do not want to tan at all, you must choose a sunscreen with SPF50.
Types of sun-protecting creams
There are mostly two types available in the market, physical and chemical-based. Let us understand the difference in detail:
Chemical-based sunscreen
These chemical-based sunscreens include octisalate and oxybenzone. Octisalate absorbs ultraviolet rays, which doesn’t give the chance to harm the skin. However, oxybenzone can be considered a bit problematic as it gets absorbed into the skin more than it was initially speculated.
There have been concerns regarding oxybenzone; studies speculate that it could interfere with hormones’ normal functioning. Expecting mothers and children should not use chemical-based sunscreens.
It is interesting to know that Hawaii banned chemical-based sunscreen due to its side effects. Some studies state that it contributes to bleaching and poisoning coral reefs.
Physical-based sunscreen
In the physical-based ones, they work by reflecting the UV rays, acting as a shield to your skin. These products use titanium and zinc. They are the safest to use as they have no side effects. You must choose FDA-approved sunscreens to stay safe.
So, you need to ensure that the sunscreen protects you from the damaging UV rays which cause age spots, burns, and wrinkles. And you also need to ensure the product you buy is safe for your skin.
Water-resistant sunscreens are ideal as the regular sunscreen might get washed away due to sweat.
Sunscreen usage for optimal protection
Sunscreen should be a daily routine, but you cannot just apply it before leaving the house. While using sunscreen, you must be sure of getting optimal protection by wearing the sunscreen properly.
Below are a few tips that you can follow while using sunscreen:
A daily affair
sunscreens should become a part of your daily life. Once you take a bath, apply sunscreen regardless of the weather or place.
Generous application
You need to apply sunscreen generously all over the exposed area, not just the face.
Minimum SPF
Since you know that the answer to “can you tan with sunscreen SPF 30” is yes, you can use it for tanning. Moreover, even if you want to get tanned, SPF 30 can still help protect the skin.
Time
Sunscreen should be applied at least 30 minutes before you expose yourself to the sun.
Reapplication
Make sure to carry your sunscreen if you have a long day ahead. It should be reapplied every two hours to protect you from the sun.
Proper clothing
Wearing proper clothes while stepping out is also necessary as this can provide extra protection from the scorching sun. For example, sunglasses and hats can be really helpful.
SPF for lips
Sunscreen is also available for your lips. We often forget that lips can also get affected due to the sun. Hence many chapsticks have SPF to protect them from getting discolored or tanned.
Does sunscreen stop you from tanning?
Sunscreen must be worn daily, but let’s discover if it stops tanning.
The main motive of sunscreen is to protect you from UV rays. However, to protect from the UV rays, it must be concerning if you can tan with sunscreen SPF 30, 50, or any other number. Well, let me explain you in detail.
The SPF level depends on one thing, the longer you stay out in the sun, the more numbers you need in your sunscreen. The UV index is the measure relating to strength and exposure to the sun.
The UV index will be able to reflect the correct number for tanning.
As per studies, about 96.7% of UV rays are filtered by SPF 30, and only 3.3% reach the skin. Likewise, as you increase the SPF to 50, 98% of UV rays can be filtered, and only 2% reach the skin.
Also, applying SPF 30 takes 30 times more to burn the skin than without the sunscreen application when applied properly.
Hence, can you tan with sunscreen SPF 30? Of course, yes, when applied properly without harming the skin.
Choosing a sunscreen
Now that we have discussed how important sunscreen is, we shall see how to choose the best one from the numerous available options.
The best sunscreen for tanning is SPF 30. The minimum SPF should be 30 if you don’t want to go for the higher ones. But SPF 30 is the minimum you should purchase to protect your skin from UV rays.
To protect your skin, you need to make sunscreen an everyday ritual. As you make it a daily ritual, eventually, you will see your skin turning healthy naturally.
After cleaning, toning, and moisturizing, use sunscreen all over the exposed area of your skin. There are many body sunscreens also available. A golden glow is all you dream but is it even healthy is a question.
To achieve the golden glow, you might lose your health. It might be very impressive to look at in the beginning, but when the wrinkles start to show, you might regret which can be too late to realize.
But the good part is you can still get a sun-soaked look by using a bronzer with summer. Hence, it is very important to get the apt sunscreen per your requirement.
Best sunscreen for tanning
Check out some of the products you can buy to protect your skin from tanning:
Sun Bum
It is a natural vegan oil-free tanning lotion free from parabens and gluten. Sun Bum is one of the most environmentally friendly tanning lotions as it’s cruelty-free.
It is composed of Vitamin E, which protects the skin from aging and is suitable for all kinds of skin. The best part, this comes with SPF, which protects the skin from UV rays.
Australian Gold with SPF 30
This tanning cream comes with bronzer-infused sunscreen. It is also oil-free, which makes the skin non-greasy but gives a golden glow in its application. It is also infused with sunscreen.
Coppertone lotion
This antioxidant lotion has SPF 50 and vitamin E; an amazing combo to prevent anti-aging.
Neutrogena Mineral Sunscreen for Sensitive Skin
Neutrogena sunscreen is one of the best lotions with SPF 60, which acts as a shield against UVA/UVB rays. This was naturally enriched with active ingredients with moisturizer.
Panama Jack tan sunscreen
The Panama jack is one of the tan creams with the least SPF. However, it does protect you from UV rays. It is best for water sports activities as it stays longer on the skin and doesn’t wash away.
It has water resistant capacity for more than an hour. Panama jack is also suitable for all kinds of skin, for tanning with the utmost protection.
Self-Tanner by Nature Nation:
As the name states, Self-tanner is a self-tanning cream that includes a brush and a mitt for its application. The formula is best to achieve a sun-kissed, bronzed look without damaging the skin under the sun. This self-tanner shows results within 6hrs of its application, lasting almost 15 days.
As we come to the end of this article, I hope your doubts about sunscreen and tanning are much clearer now. And how important it is to add sunscreen to your daily routine.
Don’t wait any further, get yourself a proper sunscreen and start applying now!