How to Get a Beautiful Summer Tan

If you are heading to the seaside to tan, remember that the sun can sometimes be unforgiving. A wonderful holiday mood can quickly be spoiled by unpleasant redness and sunburn.

The best times to tan are from 9 to 11 in the morning and after 4 p.m. Sunbathing between noon and 3 p.m. is not recommended because the sunlight is especially intense and damaging during these hours. Prolonged sun exposure also accelerates skin aging, contributes to wrinkles, and reduces elasticity and smoothness.

Many of us reach adulthood without fully understanding what SPF is or why it matters. SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. It indicates how effectively a cosmetic product can protect your skin from sunburn and unwanted pigmentation.

Sunscreen packaging usually shows a number immediately after the SPF abbreviation. This number indicates how much longer you may stay in the sun before burning. It is often assumed that a higher SPF always makes a sunscreen dramatically more effective, but that is misleading. SPF 50 offers only slightly more protection than SPF 30.

If you have fair skin, choose SPF 30-50. SPF 15 may be sufficient for deeper skin tones.
Tanning products without a protection factor are recommended only for skin that is already tanned.