How can a fair-skinned individual protect their skin and get rid of farmer's tan?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a fair-skinned person with a pretty noticeable farmer's tan. I want to even out my skin tone on the whiter parts of my body during summer, but I know that tanning is pretty harmful to one's skin, especially for someone who is as white as I am. I would like to know how safely I can tone my skin so that I can better protect myself from burns in the future. Also, I have a few questions:

What SPF should I use?
Do high SPFs prevent my skin from getting dark further?
How long should I stay out and how often should I go outside to tan? I currently go to the pool a few times a week, swim for about 20 to 25 minutes, then tan for the same amount of time. Is this too much or too little?
Do normal sunscreens protect against UVA and UVB rays? If not, how do I protect myself against both?
How much sunscreen should I apply, and how often?

If you have any other pointers, I am more than willing to note them. Please help.

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I am here to extend a helping hand to you.

A sunscreen cream containing a SPF (sun protection factor) of at least 30 should be applied by most fair-skinned individuals and it should be reapplied after four to six hours since there is no such completely waterproof sunscreen. So, reapplication is important. SPF refers to the degree of protection from ultraviolet B rays and does not provide protection against ultraviolet A rays so an increase in SPF can increase the degree of protection. You can use broad-spectrum sunscreen which includes both chemical and physical components which will protect you from both UVB and UVA rays. Further, I suggest you do the following:

Reduce the duration of staying out in the sun.
Avoid the midday sun, especially between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Seek shade whenever possible.
Wear tightly woven cotton clothing with long sleeves and long pants whenever going out in the sun. Also, wear broad-brimmed hats.
Protect your eyes with UV-filtered sunglasses.
Beware of high-altitude places as there are fewer layers of atmosphere to absorb UV rays.
Be cautious at riverbeds, beaches, and snow places as 80 % of UV rays get reflected.
Apply plenty of sunscreen to sun-exposed areas in a concentration of 2 mg/cm square. Sunscreens have to be applied in sun-exposed areas half an hour prior to leaving the house for its sun protection action to initiate. It should be reapplied if the areas are washed unless water-resistant creams are used.

To apply sunscreen, follow the teaspoon rule which is as follows:

Apply 3 mL (slightly more than half a teaspoon) of sunscreen on each arm and also on the face and neck.
Apply 6 mL (slightly more than a teaspoon) of sunscreen on each leg, chest, and back.

The sunscreens protect the skin from damage by ultraviolet rays, provided they are applied liberally 30 minutes to one hour before an exposure. It should be reapplied after swimming or sweating or during prolonged ultraviolet exposure. Daily use of sunscreen is more protective than intermittent use. Sunscreen should be applied even on cloudy days.

I hope this helps. Do get back if you have any further queries.

Thank you.