Question:
I'm having a little debate with a friend of mine, who is an avid high SPF sun
block wearer.
According to her Dermatologist, skin darkening/tanning is evidence of damage
and is the body's way of telling us something is wrong.
I am of the opinion, that even when one wears sun block(spf 30 or +) that the
skin will still tan, though that doesn't necessarily mean the SPF isn't
working. For those of you that wear sun block, do you notice your skin doesn't
tan/darken when exposed to the sun?
I always thought that while a good sun block will protect the skin, it doesn't
necessarily mean it will prevent tanning. Is that true?
Answer:
Neither of these statements is mutually exclusive. That is, yes, your
friend's dermatologist is correct that a tan is evidence of sun damage. Your
opinion that SPF still allows tanning can also be correct, as even the best
SPF can block only 99% of UVB burning rays, and about 98% of UVA rays. Using
a high SPF will definitely reduce the amount of UV rays that get through to
your skin, thus will decrease the likelihood of tanning. BUT, some tanning
can occur b/c of lack of diligence in application or re-application, and
the 1% of rays that get through.
I'm unclear if you are drawing some kind of conclusion that the tanning
that occurs WITH SPF is somehow different from the tanning that occurs
without SPF. The only difference is one of magnitude. A tan acheived with
SPF is no better for you than one without.
