Sunscreen Marker, Suncayr, Monitors Exposure To UV Rays, Turns Skin Purple When It's Time To Reapply
People who love the sun but have sensitive skin tend to asks themselves two important questions before they leave the house: How much skin should I expose, and if I decide to expose more skin, how much and how often should I apply sunscreen? Most people don't know how to properly apply sunscreen, let alone reapply, but a newly created product may be able to help with that.
Suncayr, founded by nanotechnology engineer Rachel Pautler, is a UV-sensitive marker that people apply before they put on their sunscreen. The ink goes on clear, but when it turns purple later in the day, that means it’s time to reapply. Pautler herself struggles to stay safe in the sun. The Huffington Post reoirted despite being "vigilant" about her own sun protection, Pautler would still burn. "It's a real pain point," she said.
HuffPo cited Suncayr would be an especially useful tool for anyone who wants to enjoy themselves in the sun but, like Pautler, is afraid of being sunburnt. Pautler and her team think the product is beneficial to parents who have children with sensitive skin, too. As Medical Daily has previously reported, children who spend a day outside without sunscreen are much more susceptible to extreme burns than adults.
After working on Suncayr for the last two years, Pautler and her team are currently taking steps to make it widely available. They are applying for the necessary approvals from Health Canada and hope to launch the product sometime in September. Suncayr appeared several different ways before becoming the UV-marker it is now, including a skin patch that changed color in the sun. Unfortunately, that wasn’t as good idea as they thought.
"A skin patch is kind of gross, so [we decided], 'Let's make something you would actually like to use,'" Pautler said.
The appeal of Suncayr is that writing on your skin can be fun. It’s like writing a message on an Easter egg before you dunk it in dye: When the egg changes color, you’ll see the message; the same can be said for Suncayr. Parents may consider writing "reapply" on their kids’ skin in an effort to make sun protection fun.
This isn’t the first product that's aimed to empower people to mind their time spent under the sun's harmful UV rays. A French company called Netatmo offers the June Bracelet, a $130 bracelet that sends data to your phone via an app. Others have tried the sticker or patch route, but they learned, too, this wasn't the best idea. Stickers and patches are more likely to fall off in water.
Proper sun care is crucial, especially during the summer months, no matter how dark or tan your skin is. Overexposure to the sun's UV rays can be incredibly damaging, possibly causing long-term health problems. One study showed UV rays can irreversibly damage DNA, while other research finds these rays break down elastin in the skin, a fiber that allows skin to stretch back into place.
Since the sun is the best source of vitamin D, read up on how to stay safe in the sun right here.