How to cover the sun became more aspirational than tan

For decades, summer was summed up in suns, forgotten sunscreen at the bottom of the bag and the eternal search for golden tan. But something has changed in recent years. While some people continue to bet on the Caribbean tone at any cost, a new trend has gained ground: covering the sun almost completely, until the solar phobia is touched. And although it can sound new in the West, in Asia it is not unusual.

The ideal of clear skin. While in the West we obsess for decades with achieving a “healthy” tan – a term that, According to dermatologists such as Dr. José María Ricartit is still an oxymoron -, in much of Asia the approach has been another: covering itself. In countries like China or South Korea, protecting from the sun is not a trend, it is a norm.

The beauty ideal is associated with clear, uniform skin, without spots, because a culture has been fed where perfect skin is status symbol. Recently, As reported by the South China Morning Postyouth of regions such as Fujian and Sichuan have taken this obsession to the extreme, using makeshift masks with cabbage leaves the size of an entire face. Beyond satire or aesthetics, priority is clear: avoid any effect of the sun on the skin.

A phobia that reaches the West. Now, this fear of the sun expands. In the West, the minimalist bikini is being replaced by garments with UV protection and hats the size of an umbrella. According to The Wall Street Journalcelebrities such as Anne Hathaway, Halle Berry or Michelle Monaghan have been seen on vacation dressed in whole -body swimsuits, long -sleeved shirts and accessories designed to cover up to the last centimeter of leather. It is not a matter of modesty: it is prevention. In Spain, for example, actress Miriam Giovanelli has become one of the most visible voices In campaigns such as World Leather Cancer Day Of the international dermatological clinic, remembering that photoprotection is not just summer thing.

In the words of Caroline Goldfarb, screenwriter and founder of Fishwife, collected by WSJ: “I have investigated the Burkinis, they are incredibly elegant. Muslim designers are icons of total coverage.” For many women like her, this hyperprotection is not a whim, but a way of fighting premature aging and skin cancer. Besides, According to Cleveland Clinicclothing with sun protection (UPF) blocks much more UV radiation than a common shirt. Of course, not every garment is worth: dermatologists recommend fabrics with UPF 50+, of closed plot, synthetic and in dark tones.

But why? This phenomenon does not arise from nothing. As The dermatologist Amy Wechsler has explained in WSJmany women who invest in Cosmetic procedures —Theses, peels or rejuvenating sera – they also seek to protect that investment with UPF clothes, hats and glasses. It is part of the new self -care ritual: it is not only about looking good, but also being “intact.”

This aesthetic obsession is not new, but it has intensified with the culture of collagen, filters and boom of the K-Beauty. As we have already written in Xatakawhat was previously sun cream, now is collagen dust, salmon DNA injection or facial analysis with AI. The implicit message: Aging is wrong. Covering from the sun may seem like a health gesture, but does not escape that logic.

Isn’t it exaggerated? Solar prevention is important, but some experts already warn of excesses. Jennifer Chwalek, Dermatologist from UniDanderm, has warned in the WSJ On the risks of a total avoidance of the sun, such as vitamin D. deficiency Charlotte Palermino, aestheticist and founder of Dieux, ironized: “I don’t want to end like Gollum, with rickets.” Take care of yourself. Isolate yourself from the sun as if it were nuclear radiation, maybe not.

An more symptom of aesthetic pressure? The sun has been demonized, but the context matters. According to the SAFE study79% of adults and 74% of Spanish children are exposed to the Sun in the most dangerous hours (11:00 to 17:00), and only 39.7% reaplies sunscreen every two hours. Protection is necessary, yes. But it is also to educate in its responsible use, without falling into fear or social pressure.

As The dermatologist Amy Wechsler to WSJ has commentedmany patients who spend on cosmetic treatments also wear UPF clothes to “protect investment.” And it is that youth has become a mandate. From South Korea, where aesthetic tourism lives an unprecedented boom, to collagen fever in the West, the pressure to “look good” has fed a constant aesthetic anxiety.

Between the sun and the mirror. From Korea to California, from collagen in coffee to the design burkini, what is at stake is not only the skin, but the time. We cover ourselves to take care of ourselves, yes, but also to continue looking young. The challenge is not just to avoid spots: it is to assume that the sun and wrinkles are part of life.

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