In Summers, sunscreens and moisturisers are your best friend’s when going out. To protect your skin from the harsh rays of the sun which often penetrate deep within the epidermis and causes sunburn, all kinds of protection are taken. From layering your skin with cooling products to wearing light-weight fabrics, a sunny day protection gear is all set. Does that mean that this gear should be kept handy only during the sunny summers and ignored during cloudy days? The answer is no. For those who are really into the science of skincare, would advise one to go on applying sunscreen even when there is no sun visible in the horizon. In fact, even on a sun-less cloudy day, you can feel equally hot and develop sunburns over your body.
If you look closely at sunscreen bottles, you would often find a note on UV protection. UV here stands for Ultraviolet Rays which are the actual harmful substance that penetrate the atmosphere and damage the skin. UV rays have the property to penetrate through the clouds as well. In fact, even though there is no sun, you are not UV protected and safe. Thus, primarily to protect yourself from these harmful rays, applying sunscreen to avoid sunburns on a cloudy day is a must.
Now the question that might arise in your mind is how the cloud barrier fails to protect us. While you see it as a barrier, in reality it is not so. Clouds vary in density and thickness. Even though thicker clouds can block a lot of UV rays, some still penetrate. In fact, almost 80% UV rays penetrate on a sun-less day. Moreover UV rays are of two types. UV A rays cause long term issues like rapid ageing while UV B rays are the main cause of sunburns. Further, on a regular sunny day, the UV rays often reach a smaller area but on cloudy days, they hit the clouds, diffuse to different directions and pass through a larger area.
Thus to protect yourself on a cloudy day, it is advised that you curb the time given to spending on a beach or doing outdoor activities, including sports, long walks and treks or even just sitting and travelling by the window. Try to be in the shade as much as possible and never leave the house without applying your sunscreen and wearing light-weight fabric clothes.
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