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SUN PROTECTION KNOWLEDGE

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We've put together a few questions and answers for you.
Do you have more questions? Then please contact us:

sherpatensing@steinfels-swiss.ch 

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The effects of the sun's rays depend on skin type, time of day, geographical location and weather conditions.

 

The descriptions below will help you to determine your skin type. The skin's own protection time plays an important role in this determination.

Please note: 

The characteristics are only guidelines. Regular reapplication of cream is essential, e.g. when sweating heavily, bathing or after drying off. 

 

If in doubt, it is better to choose a higher protection factor and get out of the sun early.


How do you determine your skin type?

Überschrift 1

VERY LIGHT SKIN TYPE

  • Very fair skin 

  • Freckles (face, décolleté, arms, legs, shoulders)
    Blonde or red hair  

  • Blue, green or grey eyes

  • Skin hardly tans or does not tan at all 
     

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If some of these characteristics apply to your skin, you have a very light skin type. Your skin has a self-protection time of less than 10 minutes and is very sensitive to the sun. 

 

Recommendation:

Use a very high sun protection factor (SPF 50+). This will help you avoid or minimise sunburn and premature skin ageing.

  • Seek shade regularly, especially at midday when the sun is at its highest (11 am and 3 pm).

  • You should also use sun protection on your face in autumn and winter  

  • You should always have sunglasses and a sun hat with you.

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BRIGHT SKIN TYPE

  • Fair skin 

  • Blonde, light brown or dark brown hair

  • Blue, green or grey eyes

  • Freckles 

  • Relatively rapid reddening without pre-tanning

  • Skin tans only slightly
     


Do you recognise these characteristics in yourself? Then you probably belong to the light skin type. This means that you could get sunburnt after just 10-20 minutes of self-protection if you don't use sunscreen.  

 

Recommendation:

  • Use a sunscreen with SPF 30-50+.

  • In hot weather and bright sunshine, you should use a very high sun protection factor (SPF 50+) at the start of the summer or during your holiday.

  • Shade, especially at midday, is good for you and your fair skin. 

  • Sunglasses and a hat provide additional protection. 

MIXTYPE

  • Light to light brown skin colour
    Dark blonde or brown hair

  • Blue, brown, green or grey eyes

  • Gradually tanned skin 

  • Rarely sunburnt

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At these points, your skin has a maximum self-protection time of 30 minutes. Nevertheless, you should always use sun cream. 

 

Recommendation:

  • You are well protected with SPF 30.

  • Avoid the hot midday sun. The UV radiation is particularly intense there and can quickly cause unwanted sunburn. 

  • Even darker skin needs to get used to the sun's rays slowly.  

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BROWNISH SKIN TYPE

  • Olive-coloured or brownish skin tone 

  • Brown to black hair 

  • Brown eyes

  • Rapid tanning 

  • Sunburn rarely occurs


With these characteristics, you probably belong to the tanned skin type and can spend about 30 to 40 minutes in the sun without getting sunburnt.

 

Recommendation:

  • Sun protection factor SPF 20 is the minimum.

  • Even naturally tanned skin should use a higher sun protection factor at the beginning of the summer or on sunny days. 

  • All skin, regardless of skin type, suffers from the sun's rays. In addition to sunburn, this leads to premature skin ageing and possibly skin cancer.   

DARK TYPES

  • Light to dark brown complexion

  • Deep brown to black hair

  • Brown eyes

  • The skin tans very quickly

  • Sunburn practically never occurs 

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If you are a darker skin type, your skin is relatively insensitive to light. You can protect yourself for around 60 minutes without sun cream. 

 

Recommendation:

Even dark skin types can get sunburnt. We therefore recommend at least SPF 10, but SPF 20 is even better. 

As the sun's rays are also responsible for premature skin ageing and damage to the skin, we also recommend a higher sun protection factor for dark skin types.    
 

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VERY DARK SKIN TYPE

  • Very dark skin tone

  • Dark brown eyes 

  • Deep brown to black hair

  • The skin hardly tans in the sun 

  • Sunburn is very rare
     


Your skin is naturally dark in colour. In fact, dark-coloured skin also gets sunburnt. However, the self-protection time is about 90 minutes before you should go out of the sun or apply sun cream.  

 

Recommendation:

  • SPF 10-15 protects the skin and extends the sun exposure time for very dark skin types.

  • However, a higher SPF protects the skin from premature ageing or even skin cancer. 

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