Can you tan from the wind when you’re in the shade?

Answer

Dear Rhea,

No, the wind does not affect sunbathing. The UV rays are not deflected by the wind, so you will tan just as quickly whether there is wind or not.

But even in the shade, the UV rays of the sun can still reach you by reflecting off something else, just as it happens for visible light (light and UV rays are both electromagnetic radiation, but with slightly different wavelengths). Finally, it is also not perfectly dark in the shadows.

If there is wind while sunbathing, the skin is cooled by the wind and as a result some people stay in the sun too long. But that is a false feeling, because you tan just as quickly if there is wind or not.

Kind regards,

Philippe Tassin