Mar 15, 2005 04:55 PM
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(Updated Mar 16, 2005 09:44 AM)
It’s Saturday afternoon and you are having a gala time shopping with your friends. A few hours later you come back home tired but happy with a few colorful packages. Phew! time to splash cold water on yourself and relax. You open the strap of your watch to put is away and notice a band of white on the skin. In the bathroom, you take a look at the mirror and notice that you look visibly darker. Well, these are nothing but the effects of the sun on your skin.
Protection from the Sun – Why??
Other then this visible darkening effect, the sun also has some other adverse effects on us. We have always known that sunlight provides us with a good source of Vitamin D but too much exposure to the sun may lead to sunburns, aging, wrinkles and skin cancer. Sunlight arrives on earth in three forms: infrared, visible light and ultraviolet. Ultraviolet light is classified into three categories:
UVA - also known as black light, which causes tanning.
UVB - causes damage in the form of sunburn.
UVC- filtered out by the atmosphere and never reaches us.
To avoid these unpleasant effects from the sun, we should use adequate protection.
What kind of protection to use?
A good pair of sunglasses for the eyes goes a long way in protecting your eyes from the sun.
Full sleeved clothing may be used for the body.
For the rest of the exposed parts, a good quality sunscreen should be used.
What is Sunscreen?
Sunscreens block or absorb ultraviolet light. They can be found in cream, lotion and gel forms. All sunscreens are labeled with an SPF, or Sun Protection Factor. The SPF acts like a multiplying factor. If you would usually be OK in the sun for 10 minutes and you apply an SPF 20 sunscreen, you will be OK in the sun for 200 minutes. But SPF is not the only important thing Indians should for in a sunscreen – TPI is equally important. TPI or Tan Protection Index is a measure of Tan Protection when evaluated as against unprotected skin. Indian skin tends to tan more often than burn thus a high TPI is usually good for protection.
Lotus Herbal Sunscreens
Lotus Herbals Ltd is one of the key companies in the Indian as well as the international herbal cosmetics market. Lotus Herbals products are exported to various Middle East and Western countries. Lotus provides us with a range of sunscreens – for children as well as for adults.
Safe Sun - Sun Block Cream with PARSOL® 1789:It contains PARSOL® 1789 and Black Plum extracts for protection against the harmful UVA & UVB rays of the sun. Waterproof and with SPF index of 30, TPI index of 80, it is a good sun block for Indian summers. Very useful for people with a hectic outdoor life.
Safe Sun Kids - Sun Block Cream:With extracts of Charmomile flower, this provides SPF protection of 25 for the tender skin of children. This product is said to be tested by Pediatricians and Dermatologists.
Safe Sun Sunscreen Lotion with SPF 10:With a much lower scale of protection, this lotion is mostly for indoor protection from the sun.
Safe Sun - Herbal Sun Screen Gel with SPF 20: This has been specially formulated for people with oily skin and has extracts of seaweeds and aloe.
Lotus also has other sunscreens with SPFs of 25 and 20 which may also be used depending on the kind of protection one requires. Most of these lotions come in attractive, easy-squeeze packages. They are easily available in 120 mland 60 mltubes in most stores. Their prices are on the slightly higher side but they last for a long time. The disadvantage of these otherwise useful sunscreens is that they are slightly heavy and takes time to get absorbed in the skin. The lotion should be applied at least half an hour before going out to the sun. It also needs to be reapplied every 4-5 hours for efficient protection.
Should I try Lotus Sunscreen?
If this is a question in your mind now, I would definitely say yes. Why because –
• These products are clinically proven to provide effective UVA and UVB protection.
• They are herbal and have active ingredients to protect and pamper your skin.
• They are waterproof and do not get washed away by water or sweat.
Just grab a pack from your nearby store and face the hot summer with a smile. :-)
