How To Remove Suntan From Hand And Face Effectively

Suntan is one of the most dreaded phenomena to occur in the subcontinent. Keeping the aesthetic reasons aside, visible Suntan is your skin’s way of communicating that there is ample photo damage done to your skin which may further lead to a compromised skin health. It's best to minimize further photo damage and thereby Suntan as its major consequence, by taking preventative measures and including products to help prevent and reverse Suntan like a Skin Lightening Cream and a caffeine sunscreen.

How Does Suntan Happen?

Suntan in simple terms is the skin darkening due to its exposure to the ultraviolet radiations. Skin pigmentation is one of the major indications of impaired skin barrier health, as it happens by the increased production of melanin pigment by the melanocytes that reside at the base of keratinocytes or the outer layer of skin as the natural defense mechanism against photo damage. Melanin pigment protects the skin from both artificial and natural photo damage, an increase in its production indicates that there has been longer and unprotected exposure to the sun and its concomitant damaging UV rays.

Suntan v/s Sunburn

Sunburn is a red, painful, and itchy skin condition that happens due to intense sun exposure for a longer period of time. Sunburnt skin has an increased blood flow as a response to harmful UV rays that cause the affected area to appear red and hot, while the chemicals released by the sunburnt skin send a neuro signal to your brain, informing about the damage, that has happened to it and thus the sunburnt skin is sensitive to touch and may feel painful and inflamed.

Suntan on the other hand is the delayed tanning that usually occurs after exposure to UV radiation and as discussed above is a result of increased melanin production.

Every skin is unique and different, therefore it responds differently to the different factors, including the damaging UV rays. 

According to the Fitzpatrick scale of “skin photo type” classification, which is based on varied parameters, like the eye and skin color and the ability of the skin to either burn or tan when exposed to harmful UV rays, the skin is categorized into 6 different types.

Skin Color	Skin Type	Sunburn	Suntan
White	Type I	Always Burns	Never Tans
White	Type II	Always Burns	Minimal Tan
White	Type III	Minimal Burn	Moderately Tans
Light Brown	Type IV	Minimal Burn	Tans Well
Brown	Type V	Rarely Burns	Tans Deeply
Dark Brown/Black	Type VI	Never Burns	Tans Deeply

What May Help To Prevent And Reverse Suntan? 

Prevention and reversing Suntan can be achieved easily by adopting a skincare regimen that includes skin-lightening cream, formulated with ingredients that help brighten and lighten skin, to enhance the complexion and consequently help in achieving an even skin tone.

Accessorize This Summer

Use an umbrella, hat, and caps while stepping out in the sun to minimize the direct sun exposure thereby minimizing the damaging effects of intense Uv exposure and preventing further skin tanning.

Including A Clay Mask

Including a clay mask in your weekly skincare routine, specially formulated with cooling and brightening ingredients, such as kaolin, bentonite clay and along with quaternium-73, further helps in managing the Suntan effectively. Regular application of such face mask, on your hands and face, further helps get rid of the tan, both from face and arms.

Include A Skin Lightening Cream

Including a skin-lightening cream with natural skin-lightening ingredients, such as, licorice root extracts, osmogeline, and other ingredients that effectively help to combat skin tan and reverse hyperpigmentation.

These ingredients effectively help in removing and reversing tan:

• Osmogeline Red algae extract that helps in alleviating redness and enhances the complexion, thereby minimizes Suntan and provides a smooth, supple skin.

• Licorice Root Extract Licorice root extract has anti-inflammatory as well as melanin inhibiting properties, thereby it helps soothe the inflamed skin while controlling and minimizing suntan.

• Retinyl Palmitate One of the gentlest retinoid that helps in increasing the skin cell turnover and provides an overall enhancement of complexion, as well as, helps in controlling the photo damage and photo aging too.

• Niacinamide Skin-lightening creams formulated with niacinamide (Vitamin B6), help in multiple skin concerns, such as, hyperpigmentation, acne, acne marks, and barrier strengthening. They are well tolerated by all skin types and effectively help in reversing the photo damage to a greater extent, and provides a smooth, clear skin.

• Vitamin C Vitamin C is one of the most potent anti-oxidants and helps scavenge free radicals that are formed throughout the skin along with minimizing photo damage and offers skin brightening effect too. Vitamin C also boosts collagen synthesis, thereby also serves well as an anti-aging option.

• AHA and BHAs are the exfoliating acids that helps in getting rid of the dead and damaged skin layer. Skin-lightening creams formulated with these acids further help in decongesting the skin along with promoting an even skin tone.

Sunscreen Is Vital

Sunscreen is one of the most paramount skincare product and should be a non-negotiable part of your skincare routine, specially if you tend to have prolonged exposure to the sun light during your outdoor schedule, irrespective of your gender, race, and season. Sunscreen helps protect the skin by either reflecting or absorbing the UV rays depending on the type of filters they are formulated with viz. organic filters and inorganic filters.

Here are the tips to choose and use a sunscreen that serves your skincare needs the best

• Including a sunscreen formulated with caffeine as an ingredient, enhances the efficacy of its filters by upto 25% as compared to caffeine-free sunscreen. More SPF, More protection.
• Choosing a broad spectrum sunscreen that filters out both UV A and UV B rays for the optimal skin protection against UV exposure.
• Choosing a SPF 50 PA++++ sunscreen to ensure maximum photo protection.
• Choosing a Caffeine Sunscreen that suits your skin type the most.
• Using sunscreen on all the exposed parts of your skin including the back of your neck, arms and feet.

Hopefully, this blog helped you get an insight into how to prevent and manage suntan and sunburn effectively by using simple and readily available products like a caffeine sunscreen and skin-lightening cream for a glowing, radiant, and smooth skin all year long.