Every summer natural products appear that miraculously become the perfect lotions to achieve an ideal tan, or to protect the skin from the sun’s rays. In recent years, it has gone from lycopene from tomatoes, argan oil and castor oil. And this summer, success comes from coconut oil and carrot-based creams.
However, specialists remind us that the darkening of the skin is nothing more than a stress response to solar radiation with detrimental effects on health in the medium and long term. Therefore, the search for tanning in ultraviolet ray booths is an aesthetic trend considered harmful by the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.
The coconut oil hoax
A quick Google search on the purported benefits of coconut oil for tanning yields pages and pages of different articles. Regarding the properties that some attribute to it, a protection between 20% and 75% of ultraviolet rays stands out. “But there is no scientific basis for these properties. The body needs very little vitamin D , in fact, eight minutes of sun exposure on a quarter of our skin is enough. Although people cover themselves with sunscreen, they continue to synthesize this vitamin”, explains Lorea Bagazgoitia, dermatologist and author of the book What science says about skin care .
Regarding the capacity of coconut oil as a sunscreen and protective lotion, there is no scientific evidence to support it. In fact, it can be very dangerous. “Coconut oil is great for hair care or as a moisturizer , but never for sunbathing. These are fats with a high biological level, so if they get hot, you can literally fry yourself,” says dermatology doctor Gloria Abad of the Teknon Medical Center. However, these fats can fulfill a function of relieving sunburn , but that’s about it.
Carrot doesn’t work either
Another great myth, although this one comes from afar, is that of the use of carrots as a natural suntan lotion. Some consider that with a couple of applications of mashed carrot with oil the skin begins to take on a dark tone. Although Dr. Abad assures that this effect is a natural oxidation of beta-carotene, the characteristic coloring of this vegetable. As it is absorbed by the superficial layer of the skin, it begins to incorporate an orange hue. But this pigmentation does not really protect against the sun, since it does not replace melanin , nor does it last very long. This colorant in tablets can help the skin to recover.
“A sunscreen protects against 98% of the sun’s harmful radiation. To date, there is no food or natural substance that has a similar capacity, so science cannot recommend any alternative to the classic cream”, remarks the dermatologist Bagazgoitia.
skin types
Some naturopaths argue that the ineffectiveness of these homemade lotions depends on the natural color of the skin that each individual has. “The concept of skin color no longer exists, we talk about phototypes and there are six different ones, with greater or lesser resistance to solar impact, but this only affects the type of care that each person should take when exposed to the sun. No natural product will be better or worse for the phototype of each one. If it works, it works and if it doesn’t, it never will”, qualifies Consumer Globa l Abad.
Experts remind us that each person has a natural tone that should not be changed by simple fashion . “It has been shown that people are more afraid of wrinkles than skin cancer and that can’t be it. We must be aware of the risks of exposing our skin to the sun and act accordingly”, says Bagazgoitia.
With the start of summer, the offer of sunscreens and sunscreens with natural products grows, although not all of them are what they seem
Every summer natural products appear that miraculously become the perfect lotions to achieve an ideal tan, or to protect the skin from the sun’s rays. In recent years, it has gone from lycopene from tomatoes, argan oil and castor oil. And this summer, success comes from coconut oil and carrot-based creams.
However, specialists remind us that the darkening of the skin is nothing more than a stress response to solar radiation with detrimental effects on health in the medium and long term. Therefore, the search for tanning in ultraviolet ray booths is an aesthetic trend considered harmful by the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.
The coconut oil hoax
A quick Google search on the purported benefits of coconut oil for tanning yields pages and pages of different articles. Regarding the properties that some attribute to it, a protection between 20% and 75% of ultraviolet rays stands out. “But there is no scientific basis for these properties. The body needs very little vitamin D , in fact, eight minutes of sun exposure on a quarter of our skin is enough. Although people cover themselves with sunscreen, they continue to synthesize this vitamin”, explains Lorea Bagazgoitia, dermatologist and author of the book What science says about skin care .
Regarding the capacity of coconut oil as a sunscreen and protective lotion, there is no scientific evidence to support it. In fact, it can be very dangerous. “Coconut oil is great for hair care or as a moisturizer , but never for sunbathing. These are fats with a high biological level, so if they get hot, you can literally fry yourself,” says dermatology doctor Gloria Abad of the Teknon Medical Center. However, these fats can fulfill a function of relieving sunburn , but that’s about it.
Carrot doesn’t work either
Another great myth, although this one comes from afar, is that of the use of carrots as a natural suntan lotion. Some consider that with a couple of applications of mashed carrot with oil the skin begins to take on a dark tone. Although Dr. Abad assures that this effect is natural oxidation of beta-carotene, the characteristic coloring of this vegetable. As it is absorbed by the superficial layer of the skin, it begins to incorporate an orange hue. But this pigmentation does not really protect against the sun, since it does not replace melanin , nor does it last very long. This colorant in tablets can help the skin to recover.
“A sunscreen protects against 98% of the sun’s harmful radiation. To date, there is no food or natural substance that has a similar capacity, so science cannot recommend any alternative to the classic cream”, remarks the dermatologist Bagazgoitia.
skin types
Some naturopaths argue that the ineffectiveness of these homemade lotions depends on the natural color of the skin that each individual has. “The concept of skin color no longer exists, we talk about phototypes and there are six different ones, with greater or lesser resistance to solar impact, but this only affects the type of care that each person should take when exposed to the sun. No natural product will be better or worse for the phototype of each one. If it works, it works and if it doesn’t, it never will”, qualifies Consumer Globa l Abad.
Experts remind us that each person has a natural tone that should not be changed by simple fashion . “It has been shown that people are more afraid of wrinkles than skin cancer and that can’t be it. We must be aware of the risks of exposing our skin to the sun and act accordingly”, says Bagazgoitia.
