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Guest: Dr. Manita V. – Dermatologist. http://www.neuskinplus.co.in

Introduction

-Dr. Manita is a consultant in dermatology and cosmetology, she has 11 years of experience in skin care.

-She has also worked in corporate skin clinic and a government setup before she setup her own clinic in Jaipur.

-She guides and consult people for a healthy skin and hair regime for stage appearances, media presentations, she talk to schools and organise workshops, along with consultations.

Her story

-She has taken biology during her senior secondary and she became a doctor, she was reading in her medical studies, all the branches attracted her but not surgical;

-Slowly she started missing that she used to write when she was a teenager, things went on and she has to choose a branch for her post-graduation, she decided to go for something which will give her some time and give her more insights into personalities she meet.

-She wasn’t a fan of surgical branches so she got into dermatology. She loved the branch.

-She’s happy she got dermatology branch.

Use of sunscreen

-There’s an overwhelming evidence. The hazards of UV rays, it has been known to us since past few years, they are very harmful, the detrimental effects are too much.

-If we talk about past, not just skin, take all the body organs, there weren’t any CT scans. As technology improves, as we get to know more, we improve our lifestyle with that. In past too people use to get tan, people had skin issues due to sun, but they didn’t get to know about it because there wasn’t any technology to figure it out.

-And there were so many diseases related heart, kidneys and liver so people hardly focused on their skin.

-Sunscreens protects your from harmful UV rays and prevent causing skin cancer, UV rays damage the skin which causes premature ageing, sunscreen also prevents against sun burns, photoaging, pigmentation of skin, discolouration. All of these things were there in the past too, but we didn’t have tools to identify them.

-There are also so many diseases which are aggravated by sun, they are photo sensitive diseases, if you go out in sun they’ll get aggravated but if you stay inside, they won’t.

-There aren’t any doubts about it, sunscreens are definitely protective and everyone should use it.

When to use sunscreen?

-Ideally, it should be applied indoors too, it’s true that when you’re inside the house you don’t need it very much but we don’t consider the fact that you go into your balcony or around the main gate to buy some veggies or when you’re around a window, you’re inside the house but you’re still exposed to the sun.

-UV rays pass through the glass, in car too your skin will be affected by it. They also reflect (UV rays), you might think you’re sitting under shade, but just because sunlight doesn’t hit your face it doesn’t mean UV rays won’t.

-So it should be applied indoors as well as outdoors.

-It should be applied on all exposed parts. Every 4-5 hours if you’re in a field job.

Which SPF to go for?

-Basically it depends on your requirement. 30 is the magic number, it is good for most of the people.

-The difference between 15 and 50 SPF is not much, 15 SPF means what amount of sun will cause minimal reddening of your skin as compared to the non-protected skin. Protected skin in percentage of non-protected skin. So when SPF is 15, it means it’ll protect you 15 times more than the unprotected skin. if we apply the formula, SPF 15 gives you 93% protection.

-When you’re indoors, 15 SPF is good enough, when going out apply 30 SPF because it gives you 97% protection.

-Beyond that, 50 SPF gives you 98% protection, the difference is minimal.

-The higher the SPF, the thicker the formulation. If you’ve an oily skin, it’ll be a discomfort to you.

-30 SPF is good enough for most of the skin types.

-There are companies which offer a lot more like 500 SPF, they aren’t necessary. It doesn’t make any sense.

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Q: Can we apply sunscreen on kids?

A: If you’ve a kid above 6 months old, you can apply sunscreen on their skin.

Q: Difference between physical and chemical sunscreen?

A: Previously it was called physical and chemical sunscreen, now it is organic and inorganic sunscreen. The physical sunscreens have some ingredients which are inorganic, they sit on the skin and form a layer to protect it. Due to that the UV rays do not get absorbed and they get scattered. The organic sunscreens have chemical ingredients, when applied, they get absorbed and they act as an absorbent. The UV rays gets absorbed and then diffused. The difference is their application, for children physical sunscreens are recommended.

If your sunscreen has zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, it’s a physical sunscreen.

Q: Some people don’t apply it because they have oily skin, what’s the solution for them?

A: It happens because they haven’t selected the right product according to your skin type, first know your skin types in India it varies around from skin type 2 to skin type 5. Secondly know if you’ve a dry skin or oily skin, sunscreens come in different formulations like cream type, gel type, matte type, lotions etc. Cream and lotions are good options for someone with a dry skin, for people with oily skin choose a gel base or aqua base sunscreen and go for lower SPF. Make sure it is mentioned on the labels that it’s non-comedogenic, which means it won’t cause you acne and oiliness. After all of these things if your skin is still oily, wait for some time (15-20 minutes).

Q: Are seed oils any good for skin protection?

A: Oils are very low on SPF. You won’t get any benefits from it.

Q: What if the skin is already damaged?

A: It depends on the amount of skin that is damaged, the moment you start applying sunscreen, you’ve started protecting. Your skin protects your body just like your clothes protect your skin. A dermatologist will suggest you how much is damaged or what can be done about it. The sunscreen will prevent any further damage.

Q: Vitamin D absorption is hindered due to sunscreen?

A: Theoretically sunscreen should stop Vitamin D absorption but what we’ve seen that people don’t apply sunscreen to that extent. 5-10 minutes of sun per week without a sunscreen is more than enough for the Vitamin D you want. So it’s not really an issue.

Add-ons:

• It should be applied generously, minimum half a tea spoon.
• Apply it like a layer, do not massage.
• Wait for it to dry.
• Cover your lips as well.
• After swimming, gymming re-apply it.
• Do not mix it with other creams/lotions. Make layers instead.
• When choosing a sunscreen, choose medical brands rather than cosmetic brands.
• Treat it like a medicine, not a cosmetic.
• Wash your face with water or with a light face wash before going to bed.