Beauty Sleuth #1: Can You Get Sunburned Through A Window?

“Don’t worry children! You can’t get a sunburn through a window!” So said Ms. Nolan, my 1st grade teacher at Selby Lane School, in sunny Northern California. Well, that was then and this is now! Was Ms. Nolan correct? 

Well, you may not be able to get sunburned through a window, but you can certainly be the recipient of some pretty bad sun damage. You see, there are two types of sun rays that concern us: UVA (think “A” for aging) and UVB (think “B” for burning). UVA rays CAN penetrate glass, clothing, plastic, and, importantly, clouds (!) and are scientifically proven to cause skin damage including exacerbating the signs of aging (think wrinkles, fine lines, brown spots etc) and likely to cause skin cancer. UVB rays are shorter and do not penetrate the skin as deeply, but they do cause skin redness and burn, and are a major risk for all types of skin cancer. However they don’t typically penetrate most types of glass.

So while technically Ms. Nolan was correct, since most glass can block UVB rays and hence a sunburn, I think she was incorrect in spirit given the new knowledge about the sun’s rays that we have today. 

Thus daily use of a broad sprectrum (i.e. UVA and UVB ray blockage) sunscreen is critical even if indoors, since its the only way to ensure you are always protected! I like a lotion/cream based sunscreen in the AM (like this one or this one), followed by a powder sunscreen (like this or this), and I carry this and sometimes this in my purse for sunscreen touchups over makeup during the day.