The entire summer industry rests on one quiet misunderstanding: that tanned skin means healthy skin. Dermatologist Cristina de Hoyos states the opposite without qualification - „dermatologically speaking, tanning is not a synonym for health, but precisely the opposite”.

The mechanism is more interesting than the advice. Tanning, she says, „is a defence mechanism through which the skin tries to protect the DNA of its cells”. So the colour we chase on the beach for weeks is a signal that the body has already started defending itself against something. It is not a reward for time spent in the sun, it is a response to damage.

Sunburn is the next stage of the same story, and here is the sentence worth remembering: „Every burn leaves a biological mark that accumulates with all previous exposures.” Skin does not start from zero each summer. What happened in childhood stays on the account.

That is why de Hoyos is categorical about something treated here as simply part of summer: „Sunburn must never be considered normal.” And once it has happened - „if your skin is already warning you that there is an injury, prolonged sun exposure only makes it worse”.

What works and what does not

Prevention is boring and that is exactly why it works: sunscreen every day, reapplication every two hours, avoiding the sun during the hottest hours, and clothing that covers. Nothing new, nothing expensive, nothing requiring a stylist's advice.

If a burn has already happened - a cool shower, moisturiser, water. And a list of things not to do: ice directly on the skin, toothpaste, vinegar and alcohol-based home remedies. All of them are handed down from generation to generation and all of them make it worse.

On blisters the advice is different from what people expect - do not pop them. „Although they are uncomfortable, they act as a natural protective mechanism and reduce the risk of infection.”

De Hoyos's conclusion is one sentence that holds in August and in November alike: „Skin has a memory and every exposure counts.” So the question is not how to tan faster. The question is what bill you are paying for that colour and when it arrives.