BEAUTY MANTRA DO YOU REALLY NEED AFTERSUN?
‘Aftersun doesn’t make sitting in the sun any less dangerous’
Seen as a must have in your holiday beauty arsenal, aftersun is relied on to fix our post-sun skin. But is it really the best way to combat sunburn? By Krissy Turner
For those of us who have ever returned from a siesta on the beach, a splash in the sea or just an unexpectedly sunny lunch-hour stroll, the feeling of “hot” skin – red raw, tight and warm to the touch – is all too common.
Over-exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays causes inflamed capillaries and skin damage; symptoms of the dreaded sunburn.
Normally we’d reach for an aftersun formula to minimise long-term damage and shorten the after-effects, but is this what they actually do?
Typically it takes two to six hours for sunburn to rear its angry head, and the effects can worsen in the 24 hours following.
“Owing to the time delay in noticeable symptoms, many people get out of the sun too late to stop the damage from occurring,” warns Dr Dominik Göddertz, Nivea’s global product developer.
Once you get in from the sun, the first course of action should be a cool bath (not a shower, as the impact of the water may cause further pain) with a few teaspoons of almond oil added for its skinsoothing and hydrating properties.
Once the skin has been cooled and hydrated, the inflammatory proteins released from the burn will retreat.
Next, slather on an aftersun, as liberally as you would (read: should) apply your sun cream.
“Whether you opt for a light cream or gel formula, the biggest benefit from aftersun is its high water content which cools and hydrates,” says Candice Gardner, education curriculum manager at Dermalogica.
“The second benefit, which may not be present in every formula but is worth looking out for, is the healing properties of plant extracts, such as aloe, which desensitise and reduce redness.”
Wondering why you can’t use a thick aloe-based moisturiser in that case? Heavy creams contain high levels of oil, creating a barrier over your skin, trapping the heat and causing prolonged pain, redness and sensitivity.
“Aftersun-specific products are created to refresh, hydrate and soothe the skin only, and won’t create a barrier,” says Dr Göddertz.
Instead they create a “cream bandage”, keeping the area underneath protected and hydrated.
“Aftersun doesn’t make sitting in the sun any less dangerous. It can’t replace sun lotion and won’t be able to ‘fix’ sun damage, either,” says Dr Göddertz.
This is because sunburn is DNA damage, and once it has taken place, it can’t be totally repaired.
“You can, however, try to increase the DNA damage removal and repair, and try to make the skin look and feel better, which is most people’s primary concern,” says Dr Harold Lancer, celebrity dermatologist and founder of Lancer Skincare. This is where aftersun comes in handy.
“The longer the heat from sunburnt skin is ignored, the longer the inflammatory proteins from it create a greater depth of damage to the skin layers, so the use of aftersun is completely valid.” Since most aftersun products only fight the symptoms of sunburn, and won’t provide any long-term aid to skin, it goes without saying that the only way to avoid the need for aftersun altogether is to steer clear of the sun from 11am to 3pm, in the UK as well as abroad.
Sun-damaged skin “remembers” being burnt, and is more susceptible to being burnt again.
When the sun is at its highest, your nose, shoulders, lips and forehead will be most vulnerable as they protrude. Opt for a sun hat with a wide brim and reapply sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 to these areas most often so as not to exacerbate the drying effects.
Choose sunglasses in a wraparound style or with thick arms and with a polarised lens to keep your sensitive eye area safe.