Tanning came into fashion in the last century and is still popular among fashionistas. How harmful or beneficial is tanning? How to sunbathe correctly to protect your skin from burns? Not everyone knows the answers to these questions. But the question is: is it possible to sunbathe through glass? - at first glance it seems quite simple. "Of course not!" - you say. However, why not? After all, the sun warms through glass, and there are different types of glass.
How to get a tan through regular window glass
There are 3 types of sunlight, but not all of them penetrate through glass.
Let's study them:
| The first type of sun rays is alpha: | Active during midday, the sun reaches its zenith. Ultraviolet rays are dangerous and can cause damage to the skin in the form of burns. Prolonged contact causes premature aging. |
| The second type of sun rays is beta: | They are not active, it is difficult to get a burn on contact, but you can get a tan. It is difficult to overcome barriers in the form of glass. Excessive exposure is dangerous and leads to the development of cancer. Ultraviolet rays will help color the skin a bronze hue, but you should not expect a quick effect. |
| The third type of sun rays is gamma: | Ultraviolet rays cannot penetrate barriers and rarely reach the Earth. Deadly dangerous to human life and health. |
The combination of sun rays A and B will help you tan; tandem is not uncommon in nature, but how realistic is it to get the result at home?
Information about whether it is possible to tan through glass, what determines success:
- As a material, it represents a barrier to high-wavelength radiation, that is, window glass does not allow ultraviolet B rays into the house.
- G radiation that does not reach the planet is not dangerous; it will not penetrate glass.
- Alpha remains, they are dangerous, lead to redness of the integument, activity increases at noon. Such rays penetrate through glass, but it is difficult to obtain a bronze-colored tan with their help.
Is it possible to get bronze skin at home, through window glass, on the balcony:
- in fact, no, since a combination of spectrum A and B is required;
- it is impossible to get the result at home;
- If you go outside, rays A and B will hit your skin, causing it to darken.
While at work in the summer, standing near the window glass, a person comes into contact with the sun, rays A partially fall on the skin. When you go outside in the morning or after work, your skin comes into contact with ultraviolet radiation. Type B rays increase the result, the skin becomes darker due to the secretion of the hormone melanin.
How to sunbathe on the balcony
At home, you can change the shade and get a tan as follows:
- It is worth opening the glass, waiting for the right time, and taking a comfortable position.
- To allow the rays to reach the skin, remove the barrier, otherwise the tan will be invisible.
- Glass blocks the supply of spectrum B, Alpha causes redness and harms the body.
Tanning through an apartment window - myth or reality: if a person wants to give his skin a bronze tint, it is better to go to the beach, resort, or solarium. Because after spending several days in front of window or balcony glass, you should expect redness, which cannot be considered a full-fledged tan.
Is it possible to sunbathe on the balcony in summer? – Yes, by removing the barrier in the form of glass. After 3 pm, use protection to reduce UV damage.
It is worth sunbathing on the balcony if the option of leaving the city is not feasible.
But doesn’t this contradict the rules of the legislation of our country?
Is it legal to sunbathe on the balcony?
- when a person relaxes under the sun in suitable clothes - yes;
- does not violate public order or generally accepted social norms.
When the area is owned, you can sunbathe on it; visiting public places in this form is considered illegal. For this you can get punished - a fine, arrest for a day.
There are 3 types of ultraviolet radiation
- UVC is mostly neutralized by the earth's atmosphere. Therefore, the ozone hole at one time seriously alarmed the world community. Our body is in no way adapted to survive under UVC rays.
UVB rays (UVB) have been felt by everyone who has ever been burned on the beach. They are what most people think about, calling creams with solar filters “beach” and buying them only in the summer for vacation.
UVA radiation (UVA) penetrates deep into the middle layer of the skin, destroying it from the inside, which becomes noticeable in wrinkles. Creams with filters against UVA rays are the only effective remedy against visible skin aging and the only type of cosmetic products that affect the condition of the dermis. All others are effective only within the epidermis. Don't waste your money on creams with collagen and elastin. These substances are located in the dermis; only clothing or a UVA filter can protect them, so it makes no sense to spread someone’s collagen and elastin on top. It will not penetrate inside and replace its own.
Do you need sunscreen if you sunbathe through glass?
Having a barrier will not help you get a full tan, but you will have to protect your skin. Ultraviolet radiation leads to premature aging, which means you will have to use products of this type.
How to do it right:
- Apply cream to clean surfaces.
- Rub with your hands, wait 10-15 minutes
- Go outside after completely trying out the remedy.
How to Apply Sunscreen Properly
The cream will protect the skin from burns, in our case this is not required, it will help reduce the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation on the skin and reduce the risk of developing cancer.
How to get a tan without leaving the city
In urban conditions it is difficult to give the skin a bronze tint, you can:
- spend more time outdoors, walk in the park;
- go outside, get some air;
- arrange picnics, ventilate the premises.
The alternative will not help you get a full tan or give your skin a bronze tint. Contact with the sun will stimulate the production of melanin and vitamin D.
Gradually the covers will darken; you should not expect the same effect as from visiting a beach or resort.
You can get tanned through a car glass or window
Ultraviolet light penetrates the barrier of car glass; windows are often opened slightly, and the rays hit the skin. Result: covers close to the window acquire a dark shade.
The problem for motorists is a tan on one hand, close to the window. Truck drivers claim that the face on one side ages faster.
Is it possible to get a tan through the windshield or side window of a car:
- Car glass consists of a material identical to that used to build a house; it does not transmit rays of a certain spectrum, which means it is difficult to get a tan.
- Alpha penetrates through the glass barrier, does not contribute to darkening of the skin, leads to redness of the integument, redness does not always occur.
- In the summer it is difficult to be in a closed car; drivers open the windows. Result: ultraviolet light enters the salon, helps to get a tan, it is not distributed evenly.
What is the effect of photoaging, why is it observed in drivers:
- in the car interior, through glass, the skin is exposed to ultraviolet radiation, which does not lead to tanning;
- instead of a bronze shade, wrinkles appear, the sun ages, the result is noticeable if you look at photographs of truck drivers, drivers spend more time behind the wheel.
Photoaging leads to the appearance of wrinkles; they can be located asymmetrically. On one side of the face. What spoils the appearance leads to the development of complexes.
The use of products that protect the skin from ultraviolet radiation will help to avoid the effect of photoaging.
Sunglasses and their ability to transmit ultraviolet light
I was able to find several standards that regulate the requirements for the ability of sunglasses to transmit ultraviolet light. The most severe of them are the Australian and New Zealand AS/NZS 1067:2003 and the European EN 1836:2005.
Compliance with the European standard is indicated on the glasses as CЄ (Conformite Europeenne) + a number from 0 to 4 (see below).
Australian New Zealand and European standards
According to the table, there are 5 types of lenses depending on light transmittance. 0 – almost no protection from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation, 4 – provides maximum protection.
There is an American standard ANSI Z80.3, which defines the maximum protection as 400UV or UV100%.
There are studies that highlight the basic requirements for sunglasses:
- Glasses should sit as close to the eyes as possible. An offset of even 6 mm significantly increases the amount of ultraviolet light reaching the eyes. [8]
- The vertical size of the lenses is at least 28 mm for adults and 24 mm for children. [8]
- The optimal lens shape is convex or with side shields. [9]
- Dark lens color should be combined with good UV protection. If glasses block the visible part of the spectrum, but do not protect well from ultraviolet radiation, this can increase eye damage by dilating the pupil. In other words, darker lens color does not always mean good UV protection. [10]
Tanning through organic, quartz glass
The change in the shade of the integument depends on several factors:
- Varieties of glass can be: organic, quartz, ordinary.
- Type of skin: dark-skinned people tan faster, those with white skin - slower, due to an increase in the secretion of the hormone melanin.
- Region of residence: in some areas, regions of our country, the sun rarely appears, getting a full tan is a problem.
Snow reflects ultraviolet light, but residents of the north experience a lack of vitamin D in their bodies more often; melanin is synthesized in limited quantities in the body.
It is worth paying attention to the type of glass; quartz is thin and allows more transmission. It is not used in glazing of residential premises; it is found in medical institutions. A common example: a quartz lamp. Used to maintain hanging sterility. Light kills pathogens, viruses, bacteria.
quartz lamp
Staying under a quartz lamp is considered dangerous; during the procedures, the person is removed from the room, and it is recommended to use protective equipment.
A bronze tan is a tribute to fashion and beauty; you should not get carried away with procedures. The sun is dangerous not only because of burns. Ultraviolet radiation causes damage, causes cancer, and leads to the development of cancer.
Which glasses allow all UV rays to pass through?
Some types of glass are capable of conducting not only long-wave ultraviolet rays, but also medium-wave radiation. These include:
- plexiglass (acrylic). Organic glass is a transparent plastic. Most often, acrylic glass is used in the manufacture of solariums;
- quartz glass. The material is absolutely transparent to the ultraviolet spectrum, i.e. it transmits UVA and UVB radiation by 100%. This property allows the use of quartz glass plates in solar and bactericidal lamps for disinfecting premises. In laboratories and medical institutions, as well as in some children's institutions, the quartz procedure is often used.
Quartz lamps generate and transmit the entire spectrum of ultraviolet rays, which makes it possible to disinfect rooms
