Whether you're on holiday or not, you need to protect your skin
Sun protection is vital for our health, and it’s just as important when we’re at home as when we’re abroad too.
Yet, new research from Boots reveals that nearly a quarter of Brits only wear sun cream during the summer months when they’re on holiday abroad – unaware that UV protection still matters in the UK.
Suncare expert Clare O’Connor shares her knowledge with us.
So, according to this new research many of us are only wearing sun cream during the summer months and we’re not aware that we probably need to take protection all year round.
Yes, that’s correct. The recent research from Boots UK has shown that 22% of Brits actually only use sun protection when they are on holiday abroad and they don’t actually use it in the UK. So we really need to be encouraging people to be using that all day everyday throughout the summer months.
How does our experience here compare say, with Australia?
Well, with Australia you’ve got wall to wall sunshine so it’s a little bit more intuitive that you need to be using sun protection. Unfortunately people associate the heat and the sun with burning but are actually unaware that UV rays even penetrate through the clouds and for instance this Easter weekend we’ve got UV levels of four or five which is equivalent to what they’ve got in Melbourne Australia. So we will be getting the same level of burning rays coming through even if we don’t have wall to wall sunshine. Boots UK have recently commissioned some research into the habits of the Brits in the UK during the summer and disturbingly we’ve found that 22% of people only use sunscreen when they are on holiday abroad and they don’t actually use it in the UK.
Tell us why it’s important that we do wear sunscreen in the UK.
We have high levels of UV. For example, just recently we saw UV levels of four or five which is equivalent to what they are seeing in Melbourne in Australia. So just even if it feels cooler, it doesn’t mean that we haven’t got high levels of UV. Unfortunately many people will associate heat with sunburn but it’s actually the level of UV not the actual heat of the day that causes sunburn and damage.
What factor would you suggest we wear whilst in the UK on a day to day basis?
On a daily basis a minimum of SPF15. So use a daily moisturiser with SPF15 and five star UVA and that’s for just normally going to work and out and about, getting incidental sun exposure at lunchtime for instance. If you are going to be outside for a prolonged period of time then use an SPF30 or higher, so that’s a period of more than an hour in the sun. So deliberate sun exposure you should be using a higher factor than a 15.
Should children wear a higher factor than adults?
Well that’s interesting, children’s skin doesn’t burn any more easily than adults but children are more vulnerable to burning just because of their habits and behaviours. So what we find is that children will tend to play outside a lot more than adults so they are getting more sun exposure and also they tend to have a lot more of what we call contact play, so they will be rolling around in the grass, in the sand, in the water, climbing trees etc. so there are more opportunities for the products to rub off. So what we would recommend for children is just use a 50+ five star UVA product and preferably a once a day product which can last up to eight hours to give the parents a little bit more peace of mind that they are getting adequate protection.
Can we apply this in the morning and be done with it or is it something that we need to reapply throughout the day?
This is a little bit about personal preference. There are products out there that will give you up to eight hours protection from a single application and they’re ideal if you want to put something on in the morning and not have to worry about it for the rest of the day and also its great for children, if they are going to school you can be reassured that you’ve applied the protection to children, they’ve gone to school and they are going to be protected throughout the school day. If you use a standard sun product that will need to be reapplied every one to two hours and if you’ve been swimming then you’ll need to reapply.
Are what about those sun creams you can get specifically for swimming? Do they also need to be reapplied?
Yes, you need to reapply them. There are products that can provide something like three hours water protection, three hours water play in a six hour period. So there are products that are ideal for the people who love the beach and love water sport. There are also water resistant products available that you reapply immediately after going in the water so there is protection for water. That’s for if you are intending to be on the beach but also thinking about daily protection and needing to reapply daily protection every couple of hours or use an all day long kind of product.
Finally, how else can we stay protected from UV rays?
Well we need to think about a top to toe approach. So use a hat when it’s a sunny day, wear a hat that’s really, really important. Don’t forget about protecting your eyes. Sunglasses; make sure they say 100% UV protection on them because eyes are very vulnerable to UV damage. Seek shade during the hotter times of the day. Appropriate clothing; so long sleeved, light clothing or if you’re going to the beach or something there are many, many swimwear products now that have got UV protection built in so that’s an additional part to your armoury as well so there are many different ways to remain protected and of course, sunscreen.
Tagged in Health Sunburn Sun Protection