Face veil claimed to give Saudi women skin to die for

A local‎ Saudi daily has quoted a dermatologist as claiming that women in the kingdom sport the world’s most beautiful skin because of the protective benefits of wearing the face veil.

Najat al-Nazr, a dermatologist at Qatid Central Hospital, was quoted by Al-Sharq daily as saying that women in the kingdom enjoy the healthiest and most beautiful skin in the world, explaining that the traditional face veil protected women against harmful radiation from the sun.

Nazr said the face veil offered protection from the harmful effects of sunlight such as sunburn, photodermatitis and tanning and reduced the likelihood of freckles, melisma, premature wrinkles, forms of skin cancer and the development of dry and hard skin.
The protection from the sun leaves Saudi women with skin that is soft, pure and beautiful, Nazr said.

The specialist said the most harmful skin diseases were cancer-related and infectious diseases, whether bacterial, viral or fungal, acute allergies, autoimmune skin diseases and connective tissue diseases such as lupus.

She recommended that women look after their skin and avoid direct sunlight between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and to take protective measures including avoiding prolonged periods in the sun and wearing protective clothing such as wide hats, long sleeves and pants. Protective sunglasses should also be worn.

The fabric of the clothing should be cotton and hues should be light as they offer the greatest protection against the sun.

Sun screens should be of a minimum SPF of 20 and applied half an hour before exposure to the sun. The lotion should be reapplied two hours later.

Following skin treatments such as laser surgery or waxing, women should avoid being exposed to high temperatures, apart from the Sun, such as hot water and saunas.

Ice cubes should be applied to parts of the skin bombarded by laser right after the treatment to avoid redness, inflammation and moisturizers should be applied frequently.