Is your sunscreen in-date?
A staggering 75% of UK holidaymakers are at risk of UV exposure on holiday because they use out-of-date suncream.
In a survey by Escentual.com it was found that 74.3% of people taking a sunny beach holiday this year would take lotion that is over a year old.
The vast majority of sun-creams have an effective use by date of twelve months from date of purchase after which time the manufacturers will not vouch for the active UV blocking ability of their products.
But the vast majority of holidaymakers said they used lotions that were more than a year old, and in many cases considerably older. Just short of a third of people said they would take on holiday sun-creams that were over two years old, and nearly 1/3 of people admitted keeping sun-tan lotion over three years, and 15% of people would keep sun block for over four years in their cupboard at home.
Clearly labelling on sun-creams was unclear to most British consumers because over 65% were unaware that most sun-creams were out of date by twelve months.
Escentual.com Beauty Editor Emma Leslie said: “Sun-creams lose their ability to block UV after a year, so it’s advisable to replace your products every summer.
“If you check the label on your sun-cream most of them have a mark which says “12M”, which means the manufacturer recommends it’s used for only twelve months after purchase.
“The effectiveness will deteriorate considerably after that time and the active ingredients will lose their potency and you may be left with little or no protection against the harmful UV rays.”
Exposure to UV rays is a key factor in developing skin cancer and in the past 30 years malignant melanoma has been the fastest growing form of cancer in the UK. Incidence rates are now seven times higher for men, and four times higher for women than in the 1970s, and in 2010 there were 12,818 new cases and 2,203 deaths from skin cancer.
Emma Leslie added: “It’s so important to protect your skin against UV rays and it’s not just about avoiding cancer. Sun damage will prematurely age your skin, causing deep lines and wrinkles. It’s much better to tan safely and protect your skin from the worst ravages of the sun’s rays. And there are several reasonably priced high SPF lotions on the market now, so it’s not the case that the more protection you get the more the product costs.”
Most holidaymakers said they would use SPF 20-30 at the start of their holiday, but by the end of the trip many would drop the SPF down as they got a tan and 1/4 said they would use less than factor 10 for the last few days on holiday. NHS advises use of a minimum SPF factor of 15 to prevent skin damage.
Tagged in Health Skin Cancer Sun Protection