Because, yes, you still need to wear sunscreen even when you’re stuck at home.
The quarantine life may have limited your exposure to the sun, but that doesn’t mean you can skip on sunscreen. There are still plenty of ways you can develop hyperpigmentation and signs of premature skin aging, even if you’ve fully adopted the hermit lifestyle.
Culprit 1: UVA
The glass windows of your home may block out UVB rays, but UVA rays from the sun can still pass through. “UVA rays are higher in wavelength but lower in energy level than UVB rays, they penetrate deeper into the skin and resulting in premature skin aging ,” says Dr Maximin Navarro, Fellow of the Philippine Dermatological Society and co-founder of Bella Pelle Philippines.
Culprit 2: Blue Light
That’s not the only reason to slap on some sunscreen. Now, more than ever, when you’re glued to your devices and gadgets—for back-to-back Zoom meetings, virtual hangouts, Live-stream workouts, and Netflix binge-watching—it’s important to protect your skin from blue light.
“You need to wear sunscreen indoors because the screens of the devices your are using—your laptop, cell phone, and television—emit High Energy Visible (HEV) light or blue light, which penetrates deeper into our skin and may cause skin aging and hyperpigmentation,” Navarro says.
Culprit 3: Infrared Radiation
If you’ve reignited your passion for baking and cooking during the quarantine, you should know that your hobby (or new business venture) can also be damaging your skin. “Chronic exposure to infrared radiation in the form of heat, like from baking and cooking, can lead to mottled, red-brown skin discoloration that can become permanent if the skin is left unprotected. “So it’s also important to wear sunscreen with infrared protection at home when cooking or baking,” notes Navarro.
UVA/UVB and Beyond
You can combat these indoor photoaging and hyperpigmentation culprits by wearing sunscreen. “By wearing sunscreen, the early and late damaging effects of UV, HEV-light and Infrared can be prevented. Early damaging effects include wrinkles, sun spots, and hyperpigmented lesions. Late damaging effects refer to carcinoma formation due to chronic exposure to UV and infrared rays,” Navarro says. “I highly recommend sunscreens that provide UVA/UVB/HEVL/IR-A protection. Most sunscreens only protect against UVA and UVB rays,” he adds.
Expert Recommendations
Aside from offering protection from UVA, UVB, blue light, and infrared radiation, Heliocare’s 360 line contains antioxidants, protecting against and repairing DNA damage that can lead to skin aging.
Heliocare 360 Gel Oil-free SPF 50 provides broad-spectrum protection and is ideal for normal, oily, and combination skin. It absorbs up to 200% more blue light than our skin, and combats premature skin aging by preventing and repairing DNA damage.
Formuated for all skin types, Heliocare 360 Mineral SPF 50 is a fluid photoprotector with 100% physical filters. It also has antioxidant properties and repairs sun damage.
Aside from protecting against UVA, UVB, blue light, and infrared radiation, the Mesoestetic Melan 130+ Pigment Control also regulates melanin synthesis to prevent future hyperpigmentation.
 Mesoestetic Antiaging Facial Mist, P2,500 |
 Mesoestetic Mesoprotech Antiaging Body Sun Mist, P3,150 |
With the Antiaging Facial Mist, you can easily reapply sun protection throughout the day without messing up your makeup. It provides the same protection as the Melan 130+ Pigment Control, with the added benefit of protecting and increasing your skin’s collagen. Meanwhile, the Body Mist, created for outdoor and sport activities, is perfect to use after a particularly sweaty livestream workout. Both sprays are non-greasy and easy to use.
Expert Tips
“Aside from these sunscreens, I would recommend using topical antioxidants. The skin’s natural antioxidants are depleted when the skin is exposed to excess free radicals from UV light, blue light, or environmental factors like pollution,” explains Navarro. “So it’s beneficial to apply topical antioxidants and eat a diet rich in antioxidants to help protect the skin from oxidative environmental damage.”
Supreme Serum CE contains vitamin C and E, asiatic acid, and glutathione. It increases the skin’s collagen, helping with skin firmness and elasticity. Plus, it addresses sun spots and wrinkles, and repairs sun damage.
“One more thing you can do is cover your gadgets with a blue-light shield and disable your mobile phone’s blue light in favor of yellow light by switching to night mode. Yellow light is much kinder not only to your skin but to your eyes as well,” Navarro adds.
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