Rainbow-icon

Active in the sun

Share

Feel the moment!

Who doesn’t enjoy a refreshing escape from the heat during a nice swim, a relaxing boat ride, a run, or a nice workout outside – or simply just a day at the beach? 

Spending time outside is highly rejuvenating, but it’s important to protect your skin from the sun – and especially the reflecting elements, that increases your exposure. Between prolonged sun exposure, sweating and spending time in the water or in the snow, there are plenty of opportunities to get sunburned. And just like a proper preparation for a football match, like shoes, shin guards and a team strategy, it is key to remember applying and re-applying sun protection.

 There are many factors that can contribute to a painful sunburn during outdoor activities. Altitude, sea levels, reflections from surfaces are just some of the elements, that can damage your skin. That is why we’ve created this guide to sun protection for outdoor activities, so that you can enjoy the activities that you love, without worrying about sunburns and skin damage.

Water sports:

There is nothing that can recreate your inner child like a playful day in the water. Whether you get high on adrenalin on the surfboard, love a nice, active swim or just a day on the beach or by the pool, you need to be especially careful when it comes to protecting yourself from the sun. Not only does the water increase the amount of UV, as it reflects the sun’s rays – the cooling effect of the water makes you think that you are not getting burned. Talk about a highly dangerous cocktail! As always sun protection is your best companion and you should apply high factor, broad-spectrum, water-resistant sun protection at least 20 minutes before you head out to enjoy the day by the water. And don’t forget to re-apply as the hours go by.

Did you know that P20 Original is highly water resistant?

Winter sports: 

Higher altitudes increase your risk of sun damage, as the UV exposure increases by roughly 5% with every 1.000 feet (300 meter) above the sea level. Meaning that an altitude of 10.000 feet (3km) above sea level can give you radiation that can be as much as 45% stronger. And in addition, the snow acts as a reflective surface, bouncing the suns UV rays back towards you for a double dose of exposure. 

A high factor, broad spectrum sunscreen is the only way forward. Be sure to cover all areas – even the nostrils, as they are extra exposed to the sun, when the UV rays reflects upwards off the snow’s surface.

Did you now that all P20 products contain broad spectrum UVA- and UVB-protection?

Extreme sports:

Compared to dangling from a cliff on a rock climb or going fast downhill on a mountain bike, you might think the risk of sun damage is trivial. Sun damage can be just as fatal when you are sweating in the sun without protection. Here is why. If you enjoy activities that requires extreme effort, you most likely will spend prolonged amounts of time in the sun, as well as at high level of altitudes or in the water. Wearing a broad-spectrum sunscreen that is specially formulated to outdoor activities and maintains a high SPF, will help you limit your exposure to UVA and UVB rays.

Did you know that all P20 sun products protects up to hours?

Competitive sports:

Football, tennis, a marathon – you name it – a sport played outside, requires a large amount of time both training and competing. And as essential it is to stay in shape and do it your best, as crucial it is to protect yourself from the sun. Even on a cloudy day, where up to 80% of UV rays are still beaming down on your skin. It takes measures to perform at your best – and sun protection is one of them. Using a specially formulated sunscreen that retains its protection when your skin is sweating heavily, will protect your skin while you are training and competing.

Did you know that P20 Original Lotion, Spray and Continuous Spray are sweat resistant?

So, how can you keep track of the daily UVA and UVB level? Enter The UV Index – a tool, developed by WHO, to determine how much UV radiation you are surrounded by. To identify the daily index, there are a variety of weather apps, that can guide you to the best precaution against UV radiation. Let’s break down the index:

  • Index 0-2: Low risk and protection is required- If you burn easily, cover up and use broad spectrum sunscreen. Wear sunglasses on bright days. UVA rays are present even when the UV index is low – remember to use a sun protection that includes UVA protection.
  • Index 3-5: Moderate risk and protection is required – Generously apply broad-spectrum sunscreen, even on cloudy days, and after swimming or sweating. Stay in the shade during midday when the sun is strongest. When outdoor use a wide-brimmed hat, and UV-blocking sunglasses.
  • Index 6-7: High risk and protection is required – Generously apply broad-spectrum sunscreen, even on cloudy days and after swimming or sweating. Stay out of the sun between 11am and 3pm. When outdoor, seek shade, wear protective clothing, a wide-brimmed hat, and UV-blocking sunglasses.
  • Index 8-10: Very high risk and protection is crucial – Generously apply broad-spectrum sunscreen, even on cloudy days and after swimming or sweating. Stay out of the sun between 11am and 3pm. When outdoor, seek shade, wear protective clothing, a wide-brimmed hat, and UV-blocking sunglasses.
  • Index 11+: Extreme high risk and protection is crucial – Generously apply broad-spectrum sunscreen, even on cloudy days and after swimming or sweating. Stay out of the sun between 11am and 3pm. When outdoor, seek shade, wear protective clothing, a wide-brimmed hat, and UV-blocking sunglasses. 

The UV Index changes throughout the day and is usually strongest during midday. But it’s important to notice, that UV rays are always present, and we highly recommend that you use P20 sun protection every day, all year.

Something new under the sun

Travelling abroad

It’s not the destination itself that decides how much sunscreen you should use when traveling abroad – it’s much more the elements and nature of the earth, that control how to protect your skin from the harmful rays of the sun. You can just as easily get sunburns and damaged skin at your next skiingtrip, as you can at the beach in Thailand. In short, if you are travelling near equator or at high altitudes, you are at an increased risk of the sun’s harmful UV rays.

Something new under the sun

Chemical vs. mineral sunscreens

There is a misconception that mineral UV-filters are better for your skin than the chemical ones. They both provide protection against the different UV rays, but in very different ways. The mineral filters stays on top of the skin and provides a protective layer between the sun and your skin. Where as the chemical filters are absorbed by your skin and will reflect the UV rays.

The main difference is their ingredients. Mineral sun protection contains titanium dioxide and zinc oxide whilst chemical sun protection includes organic and more active ingredients.

So, which one is better for you? Well, that depends on what you prefer. To help you tick off your box, we’ve put together a list of each characteristic for chemical and mineral sun protection:

Mineral
• Typically, thicker in texture
• Non-cosmetic tint that might leave a white cast on the skin
• Do not penetrate below the top layers of the skin and increases the risk of the SPF being rubbed off
• Inorganic ingredients: zinc oxide and titanium dioxide

Chemical
• Typically, lighter in texture
• Invisible formulas that leave no white cast on the skin
• Penetrates the top layers of the skin and makes it more resistant to skin friction
• Organic ingredients

Something new under the sun

Inside on a sunny day

Whether you are in your car, using public transportation, in your office or at home, you are exposed to the damaging UVA rays. These can cause premature aging of the skin like wrinkles and pigmentation. The UVB rays are not able to penetrate glass and therefore can’t damage the skin in these situations, but the UVA rays penetrate glass and can create DNA damages in your skin that can cause this premature aging and increase the risk of other skin complications. Meaning it is crucial to use a broad-spectrum UVA and UVB sunscreen, and that you look for a protection with a high UVA protection factor. In EU it’s required that all sunscreens contains at least 1/3 of the SPF in UVA protection meaning that a SPF 30 must contain at least a UVA PF of 10. However in P20 sunscreens the UVA PF is more than twice as high as EU requires – providing you with an optimal UVA protection.

 

Something new under the sun

Rain or shine

There is a common misconception that you only need sun protection when you’re chasing the sun on hot summer days. However, most skin damage, like wrinkles, premature ageing and redness happens every day all year due to harmful UVA rays. That means that your skin is damaged over a lifetime whether you burn or not, and it is important to stay protected every day.

But what if I wake up to a grey and cloudy day? Even on those days, when you can’t see or feel the sun, it’s always there. In fact, up to 80% of the sun’s rays can pass through clouds and cause skin damage – and worst of all passes through windows of your house or car. So, rain or shine – make sure to always stay protected.

Something new under the sun

Sun protection and Vitamin D

You know that we are supposed to get our vital Vitamin D from the ray of the sun – and you also know that we must use sunscreen to protect us from the ray of the sun. It sounds like a classic contradiction, right? How are we supposed to get our daily dose of Vitamin D, if we block it with sun protection?

You only need 10 minutes in the sun to obtain the right amount of Vitamin D and that doesn’t necessarily means lying face up in the sun, but rather that you spend time outside walking to the office, gardening, exercising etc. No sun protection blocks 100% of the rays, so it all adds up.

Something new under the sun

Make-up and skin care with SPF

You might have noticed that makeup and sun protection no longer is two separate concepts. There is a wonderful world of make-up with SPF out there, like moisturizers, foundations and even powders – but before you get ahead of yourself and think that you can skip sun protection just by applying your daily makeup routine, we must stop you. Makeup with SPF can’t replace regular, daily sun protection – and it shouldn’t. Why, you ask? Because the amount of makeup you apply to your skin is minimal and does not stand a chance to getting you the full SPF number your skin needs. That’s not to say that you get a little more protection with SPF makeup, but it is not strong enough to protect you on its own.

Something new under the sun

Pregnancy and skin

We will be the first to admit that the sweet waiting time can be filled with anticipation and worries, hence we all want to do what is best for our little ones. There has been a lot of discussion regarding whether sunscreens are safe to use during pregnancy. Your concern and awareness about ingredients often increase as there are a lot of different opinions and voices about this. But make no mistake, you absolutely must use sun protection while you’re both pregnant and breastfeeding. You might have your own favorite, but the most important aspect is that you use a broad-spectrum sun cream which offers protection against UVA and UVB rays.

Something new under the sun

Children in the sun

As a parent it’s a daily task to take precautions to protect your sweethearts – especially from the sun. The best advice is to keep children out of direct sunlight as studies shows that most of the sun damage suffered by our skin occurs before the age of 20.

But to prevent your toddler to play outside in the sun completely is just cruel. Therefore, it’s important to teach your children from an early age how to protect themselves in the sun – and hopefully it will help them develop good habits that can last a lifetime. Try to make the application more fun by getting creative. Here is a tip: Make them guess the picture you are drawing as you squeeze the sun cream onto their skin and tell them they can help ‘rub it out’. Or do a ‘Join the dots with the sun cream, letting them spread the cream from one dot to another.

However, sunscreen application is best avoided in infants less than 6 months as babies have a higher surface-area to body-weight ratio compared with older children, which can lead to a greater risk of an unwanted allergic reaction.