Rich Complexion is unique, and it’s more than the extra melanin; it has a rich cultural history from Asian to Latin and African skin types. Yet not even more melanin could completely safeguard these skin types from the damaging effects of the sun.

Sunburn seems unlikely for Rich Complexions but it happens—the African woman who falls asleep while sun bathing, the Latino or Asian who spend hours shopping, in the end their skin’s over exposure to the sun, may result in a painful sunburn.

A red tender sore that leaves a painful sensation when touched—that’s a sunburn; After unprotected sun exposure, it takes 24-48 hours for the symptoms to appear which includes redness, blisters, and skin peeling several days after.

Are people with rich complexions immune from Sunburn?
Rich Complexions may endure UV exposure without getting burned for several hours courtesy of the extra melanin that serves as a barrier and filter but longer period before burning occurs does not translate to absolute protection.

While sunburn may seem harmless, skin cancer is a deadly battle and usually appears in the late stage of adulthood. The irony is that excessive sun exposure during childhood along with family history is one of the main causes of skin cancer in the adult stage.

Prevention is better than Cure
By the time the skin turns red and painfully sensitive, it’s already a sign of sun damage. This could be prevented with the right sun protection measures. Although brown skin has an innate SPF 13 use extreme care when exposed to intense sunlight or radiation.

When heading out from 10-4pm when the sun is the hottest, seek shade whenever possible, wear clothing that covers exposed body parts such as arms, shoulders and legs, put on the sun glass that has UV protection, wear the widest brimmed hat and of course use a daily hydrating sunscreen lotion with broad spectrum protection. For Rich Complexions, a SPF 30 is usually enough, applies 20 minutes prior to the exposure and re-applied every 2 hours.

Using a daily hydrating sunscreen is helpful to the skin in many ways especially when spending most of your time outdoors is part of your lifestyle: it prevents the Melanocytes from processing excessive melanin or from aggravating hyperpigmentation, it protects the skin from prematurely displaying wrinkles and fine lines, it fights the free radicals ravaging the skin and it hydrates it constantly.

Now, an important consideration for Rich Complexions is their distinctly sensitive or highly reactive skin prone to hyperpigmentation. Using just any product can be tricky; there are many ingredients that can irritate brown skin. A minor irritation most times leads to more problems as it may leave a scar that can take time to fade.

Having more melanin is a benefit on one hand and can be a problem on the other hand.

An absolute understanding and care could preserve this unique beauty with every step lead by the proper sun care.