Be Careful: Tanning In The City Could Seriously Damage Your Skin

If you spend all your free time in the sun to get that pre-summer glow as soon as summer starts, you’re definitely damaging your skin.

Most of the time, we don’t bother putting sun cream on when we just sit outside for a little while, have a drink on the terrace or go for a walk in the park. Well big mistake!

At the end of May, the UV index is higher than in August, says specialist Bernard Andrieu for Slate and it’s therefore only logical that we should protect our skin during this time, especially if you are in the sun is during your morning break, when the sun is at its highest in the sky.

Complicating factors

Due to a common misconception, we don’t always think it’s necessary to use sun cream when we are in the city. However, our skin doesn’t just stop absorbing the sun’s rays when we’re not lying still for hours. “The notion of lying still isn’t necessarily what leads us to get sunburnt. We can get sunburnt while walking,” explains dermatologist Nina Roos in Slate.

Furthermore, if the sun reflecting off the sand and water increases the UV rays, this phenomenon can equally occur in cities when they reflect off windows and other glass surfaces.

Pollution can also be an additional risk since it can lead to skin ageing prematurely due to something known as oxidative stress.

In other words, if you’re going to spend time outside, be it on the beach or in the city, don’t hesitate to cream up!