防晒

Hey everyone! Welcome to a new episode of Simply Natural Chinese! I'm Tian Tian!

Hey everyone, I'm A-Jie.

A-Jie, how come your face is so red today?

Ugh, don't even mention it. I went hiking with friends last weekend and got sunburned.

Sunburned? Didn't you put on sunscreen?

I put on a little, but didn't reapply it, so my whole face turned red and started peeling.

Oh my god! Let me see... wow, your nose and ears are the worst!

Yeah, those are the two spots people forget about the most.

Is that why you wore a hat today?

Yeah, my face still hurts a bit, and I don't want to get any more sun on it.

Then today let's talk about sun protection! I could talk about this topic all day.

Haha, sounds like you're the expert.

I wouldn't call myself an expert, but I've been using sun protection since middle school.

That early?

Yeah, my mom told me back then that if I didn't start protecting my skin, I'd regret it later.

Your mom was really forward-thinking.

So now whenever I go out, I cover up from head to toe.

Cover up?

Sunscreen, UV jacket, sun hat, sunglasses, face mask — can't skip a single one.

Wow, sounds like you're heading off to battle.

Haha, my friends say the same thing — they call me a "sun protection warrior."

Don't you get hot in the summer?

Yeah, but getting tanned would bother me even more.

You girls are really particular about it. Us guys basically just put on a little sunscreen and call it a day.

A lot of guys don't even bother with sunscreen at all!

That was me before.

So why did you start putting it on now?

The women in my office set me straight.

Haha, how did they do that?

They said guys also get dark spots and wrinkles, and if I didn't start protecting my skin, it'd be ruined after 30.

They're absolutely right!

Then they did a group buy and gave me a bottle of sunscreen as a gift.

That's so sweet!

So now I put a little on every morning.

But just doing your face isn't enough.

Oh? Where else should I put it?

Your neck, ears, the back of your hands — anywhere skin is exposed, you need to put it on.

I've never put any on my neck.

That's why a lot of guys have a pale face but a really dark neck.

Haha, that's awkward.

What brand of sunscreen do you use?

My coworker recommended it. I think it's a Japanese brand.

What's the SPF?

It says SPF 50 on the label.

That's the highest level.

Is a higher SPF number always better?

Not exactly. SPF represents how well it prevents tanning and sunburn.

So 50 should be enough, right?

For everyday commuting, SPF 30 is enough. For outdoor activities, hiking, or the beach, you want SPF 50.

Oh, I see.

But the PA rating is even more important.

PA?

Yeah, there are plus signs after PA — the more plus signs, the better it protects against skin aging.

I think mine is PA+++.

That's plenty. Three plus signs is the standard for everyday use.

Oh, I never used to look at any of this.

You also need to know the difference between physical and chemical sunscreen.

What's the difference between them?

Physical sunscreen is like putting a layer of tiny mirrors on your skin that reflects sunlight away.

What about chemical sunscreen?

Chemical sunscreen absorbs the UV rays and converts them into heat that gets released.

So which one is better?

Physical sunscreen is gentler — better for sensitive skin. Chemical sunscreen feels lighter and doesn't leave a white cast.

White cast?

It means after you put it on, your face looks all white, like you're wearing a mask.

Haha, that's exactly how a lot of girls' selfies look on my WeChat feed.

Right! They put on too much physical sunscreen.

Besides sunscreen, what's the UV jacket you mentioned earlier like?

It's a really thin jacket, but it has UV protection built in.

Is it different from a regular jacket?

Yes. With a regular thin jacket, UV rays still get through.

How do you tell if a piece of clothing has sun protection?

Check whether the tag has the UPF 50+ label.

UPF 50+?

Yeah, the higher the number, the more UV rays it blocks.

What color is your UV jacket?

I have several — black, blue, and even a pink one.

Girls' UV jackets come in pink, but I bet guys' are all just black and gray.

Haha, exactly.

What about sun hats?

A sun hat should have a wide brim — ideally one that covers your face and neck.

Like a bucket hat?

Yeah, bucket hats are really practical.

I've seen some people wearing these huge ones that look like straw hats.

Those are called shell-shaped sun visors — they have a huge brim in the front that covers your whole face.

You look like a welder wearing one.

Haha, but they block sunlight like nothing else.

What about face masks? I see lots of girls wearing masks even in the summer.

Yeah, masks protect the lower half of your face. Otherwise the area under your nose and around your mouth will tan.

Isn't it stuffy wearing a mask in summer?

Super stuffy, but to avoid tanning, I'll put up with it.

You girls are really committed.

Have you heard of the facekini?

Facekini? Is that the thing the Qingdao aunties wear?

Exactly! It's that full-face beach mask that covers your whole head and face, leaving only the eyes, nostrils, and mouth exposed.

The first time I saw one, I thought it was someone robbing a bank.

Haha, foreigners are always shocked when they see it.

But honestly, that thing probably gives the best sun protection there is.

It's the strongest, but it looks too scary to wear in public.

The aunties at the Qingdao beach wear it exactly like that.

So the facekini has become one of China's "cultural exports" now.

And what about cooling arm sleeves?

Cooling sleeves are sleeves you pull over your arms — they feel cool and block the sun.

E-bike riders love them the most.

Right! Food delivery guys and couriers too — almost every one of them has a pair.

What about UV umbrellas? Even guys are starting to use them now.

Guys using umbrellas is getting more and more common — that's a good thing!

Guys used to get laughed at for using umbrellas.

No one laughs anymore — actually, the ones who don't use umbrellas are seen as not taking care of themselves.

A UV umbrella is different from a rain umbrella, right?

UV umbrellas have a black or silver coating inside that blocks UV rays.

Regular umbrellas can't block them?

Nope. Rain umbrellas are mainly for blocking rain — they do basically nothing against UV.

I always thought using any umbrella was good enough.

So the umbrella you used before was basically useless.

All for nothing! These details really matter.

See, sun protection really is a whole science.

Do you need sun protection on cloudy days?

Yes! UV rays are invisible — they're still there on cloudy days.

Oh, I always thought you only needed it when the sun was out.

Also, even indoors, UV rays get in if you're near a window.

Glass doesn't block it?

Glass only blocks part of it — long-wave UV still gets through.

So people who work next to windows need sun protection too?

Yeah, my study desk is near a window, so I always put on sunscreen.

Now that you mention it, some of my coworkers' left cheek is clearly darker than their right one.

That must mean their right side faces the window and gets the sun!

Haha, I'll remind her next time.

Same thing for drivers — their left hand gets darker than their right.

Yeah, yeah, yeah — I have a friend like that. He's been driving for years and his two hands are different colors.

That's why you should put on sunscreen when driving, or wear UV-blocking gloves.

Even your hands need protection? That's so detailed.

Speaking of older folks, the elders in my family see sun protection completely differently.

How is it different?

My grandma says, "Getting some sun boosts your calcium and is good for you."

My grandma says the same thing.

And then they go to the park to sunbathe right at noon.

The older generation used to think a honey skin tone was a sign of being healthy.

Being pale was actually seen as a sign of weakness and poor health.

Young people today have flipped it completely — the paler, the better.

My mom didn't use sun protection when she was younger, so now she has some dark spots on her face.

Does she regret it?

Super regrets it! Now she's always on my case to put more sunscreen on.

Haha, so your mom is teaching you from personal experience.

Exactly! I definitely listen to her now.

My dad still doesn't use sun protection — his whole face is dark from the sun.

Men really should start taking it seriously too.

But when I tell him, he doesn't listen at all.

It's hard to change the mindset of older people.

He even says, "I've been getting sun for decades and I'm fine."

Haha, that answer is so classic.

But it's true — the older generation is used to the sun, so their bodies probably adapted.

Every generation has its own way of thinking, I guess.

Young people today care more about skin health and aging.

Right, because we know UV rays make skin age faster.