Sunblock

[kmh1190]

Hello ladies

I have medium toned skin (I am Asian) that tends to tan very easily. I like to keep myself on the lighter side of my skin tone (I just think I look better that way, not that there is anything wrong with dark skin) so I wear a lot of sunblock, esp in the warmer months or when I am running. I have noticed that even with ample SPF 50 I still get dark. My friend says that you can still tan with sunblock on, you are just not getting the sun damage that goes with it. Now this goes against everything that I have every learned about skin. Tan=exposure to UVA/UVB=sunblock not working. So who is right, me or my friend?

 

[chipmunk-pnw]

You can still tan with sunblock on, but it is very slow. The higher the SPF factor the better the block. For complete blocking I think SPF needs to be 200+, available by prescription only, and banned in some countries. I know of a lady who has to use it because she had a rare form of skin cancer. Her son won't allow her to use it because there's way too much zinc and toxic to skin over time. He just keeps her indoors . For sunblock to work effectively you need to reapply every 2-3 hours.

 

[~KT~]

I have always tanned a little through Sunscreen, even SPF 85. I'm very light NW20 and burn easily but with Sunscreen it just turns into a little tan. Which from what I have heard is still doing damage, it's probably not the same damage as having no protection but tanning is the bodies way of protecting against the sun. I just bought Aveeno SPF70 for faces and Neutrogena Dry Touch SPF50 for my body for the summer so hopefully it works well.