Welcome to The Sunscreen Blog!

20 years ago, sunscreens were totally alien to India, and it would seem like an uphill task to get someone started on sunscreen. Why did we, as Indian dermatologists, want to start people on sunscreens? Because we wanted to treat pigmentation conditions and since sunlight is (one of) the most important cause(s) of pigmentation, sun protection with sunscreens seemed the right way.

Cut to 2024, what has changed? Do we need sunscreens or not? Do sunscreens help us or harm us? Do we need sunscreens for the body? Physical or chemical sunscreens? Every 2 hours or every 4 hours or only once a day? What about vitamin D? Do sunscreens cause cancer? And the questions keep piling up, and we will attempt to answer them all in the days to come.

This series is all about exploring sunscreens and their relevance, here and now, but also for the future for our skin types. In my journey for my academic textbook, Sunscreens in Skin of Color, published by Springer and expected by the end of this year, I had a very good opportunity to travel with sunscreens for a good 3 years. Also, dabbling in the lab for the SAFESCREENs gives me a ringside view of the newer molecules coming into the sunscreen space. So overall, I do think exciting times are ahead for this very interesting personal care product!

After all, I always tell my patients/clients this: 'Even if you were to never see a doctor for your skin concerns, you will still need to make good friends with a sunscreen!' Looking at clinical and cosmetic science for the Indian skin type as of now, I do believe that my quote will age well!