My daughter is 16-year-old. She has joined swimming classes but due to swimming in an open pool in the day her complexion has turned darker. Naturally she is of fair complexion. Please advise how to get her natural beauty back and tell us the way to avoid the heat of the sun.

Sangeeta, Jodhpur, Rajasthan

Your daughter should take special care of herself. Sun produces harmful ultraviolet rays that can also cause skin cancer. So before going into the swimming pool she must wet hair and skin. Apply sun-block before going out in the sun. Besides this, she can also boil tea-leaf and apply the water on her skin. For suntan removal, she should apply sandalwood pack. Along with this, a few drops of lavender oil mixed in ice-water may be a good idea. She can apply this after an interval of every 2-4 hours. In order to get rid of tanning, she can also apply a mixture of cucumber juice and chilled milk.  On drying, wash off with cold water. Apply sunscreen with SPF 25 20 minutes before going out in the sun. Please cover your skin, wear sunglasses, hats and gloves to avoid ultraviolent rays of sun.

(Replied by Dr Blossom Kochhar)