As the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (AEDV) points out, the confinement situation during the state of alarm –coinciding with the most serious phase of expansion of COVID-19– has meant for the majority of the population a long period of low sun exposure. With a spring practically seen from home and with sun exposures even lower than usual during the winter period, confinement has slowed down the processes of melanin synthesis , as well as hyperkeratosis – thickening of the outer layer of the skin, which is composed of of keratin– and epidermal hyperplasia –increased number of skin cells– as a gradual response of light acclimatization. This makes the skin more sensitive to ultraviolet radiation.
The scientific justification? Our pigmentary system is still in the winter period. “In winter, our body produces melanin progressively until the arrival of spring and thus creates our natural photoprotection – indicate from the Photobiology Group of the AEDV -. In addition to the intrinsic sun protection of each race – greater in blacks than in Caucasians – during the spring months, due to the increase in the ultraviolet index, our body reacts by producing melanin and desensitizing itself to solar radiation. This year, the population, having been confined, has not experienced that progressive desensitization or that manufacture of melanin that it had always had ”. For this reason, the risk that this summer season there will be more cases of photodermatosis –allergic reactions to the sun– or burns is greater. “We are verifying many people with burns from small sun exposures that in previous years had not created even a small redness,” says Tomás Muret, national member of Dermopharmacy of the General Council of Official Colleges of Pharmacists (CGCOF), to VERY.
Although it is often said that the skin has a memory, experts remember, now that we are entering the time of greatest exposure to the sun, that the organ that covers us must also adapt to the new normal. To your new normal. In this sense, wanting to make up for lost hours of sunshine would be counterproductive. “It is always a mistake to look for a quick tan, but this year it is even more dangerous,” says Muret. Thus, the return to direct sun exposure must be faced progressively, gradually and responsibly. In addition to the everlasting recommendations to follow for adequate photoprotection – wearing appropriate clothing, wearing sunglasses, reinforcing the diet with foods rich in vitamin D, hydrating properly, applying a suitable sunscreen for each person’s phototype, etc. -, this year the use of protective products for COVID-19 requires a series of additional measures to be added. For example, as recalled from the General Council of Official Colleges of Pharmacists, it is also necessary to use sun protection on the skin covered by the mask.
By: Alberto Cornejo
