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| Summer Beach Set Image by Africa Photo, thanks to Shutterstock |
After spending a week away in the South of
France where we had mixed weather but still some horrid sunburn I’ve been
prompted to write a post about sun protection products available here in the
U.K. It’s a bit of a minefield really, you choose a well-known brand name like
Ambre Solaire or Nivea and you assume that all is good and you have chosen well
for your family but it might not be the case! Read on for a low down on what
all the different terms on your packaging mean and how to make an informed choice
this summer. Skin care is important for all ages.
UV Rays
There is so much information out there about the
ultraviolet rays that come from the sun and it can get a bit confusing but I’ll
just share the basics in layman’s terms. UV radiation from the sun comes in
three wavelengths - UVA, UVB and UVC. UVC does not penetrate our ozone and thus
we’re only concerned with the other two.
UVA (Ultraviolet A - long-wave)
Most of us are exposed to large amounts of UVA
rays in our lifetimes and it has long been established as a cause of premature
ageing and wrinkling but was less associated with damage to the epidermis (the
outer layers of the skin) which is commonly associated with skin cancer. However this is changing as newer research
shows that UVA damages skin cells in the base layer of the epidermis as well as
penetrating deeply.
UVA is the dominant tanning ray and whilst many
of us love that brown glow our skin develops in the summer it is actually in
response to our skins DNA being damaged and these imperfections can lead to
skin cancer. UVA rays are present during daylight hours and they penetrate
clouds and even glass.
UVB (Ultraviolet B - shortwave)
Are the rays that cause skin reddening and
sunburn. They are just as damaging as UVA rays penetrating the outer layers of
the skin and can significantly contribute to skin cancer.
SPF (Sun protection factor)
I’m sure we’re all familiar with SPF. It is the
theoretical time you can stay in the sun with a sun cream applied
effectively before getting burnt, in comparison to being out in the sun with
bare skin. So an SPF 15 should allow you to be out 15 times longer before you
get burnt. It sounds good, doesn’t it? As if you can be out for ages but you
have to remember, someone like me with blond hair and naturally pale skin burns
in about 10 minutes in strong sun. So 15 times that is only 2 hours and 20
minutes and many people think that one application of sun cream is enough for
the whole day, but it’s not! Especially if you sweat lot, have towel dried or been
in the water.
30 years ago when I was a teen I remember using
baby oil to get a tan and all my friends had coconut smelling oils with a
factor of about 5 or 10. Thankfully now we have realised the damage the suns
rays can do and we are much more careful about choosing a higher SPF. I don’t buy
anything less than a factor 30 now and mostly we all use SPF 50. Of course the
higher SPF sun creams cost more but it is worth it, what price can you put on
your health?
It is worth noting that SPF only takes into account the effect of UVB rays. They say that a sun cream with an SPF of 15 will
filter out approximately 93% of UVB rays, factor 30 filters out approximately
97% and factor 50 filters out approximately 98%. Notice that there is no total
block? Also once you get to SPF 50 it is generally agreed that there is no
benefit in going to an SPF 50+ Sun cream as the amount of chemicals in it may
negate any beneficial effect.
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| You can see the UVA star rating and the life expectancy of this bottle of sun cream on the left of the bar code |
The UVA Star Rating System
There is no universal system to convey to the
public how well a sun cream blocks out UVA rays. In the U.K. Boots developed a
star rating system quite some years ago now and many other brands have adopted
the use of it but there is no requirement for them to do so and thus the
confusion between brands continues. The star rating system operates between one and
five stars with five being the best and four stars being the lowest you should
consider. You might be surprised to hear that many sun creams from Ambre Solaire and Nivea are only four stars. I was shocked to find that our SPF 50+
Nivea cream has a 4 star rating. I truly thought I was buying the best
protection by buying an expensive brand name sun cream. But it turns out that many of the cheaper supermarket own brand sun creams are just as good, if not better.
The British Association of Dermatologists (B.A.D.) recommend what they call a broad spectrum suncream and that’s one that protects
against both UVA and UVB rays. They say you should choose at least SPF 30 and a
four or five star rating.
Currently, U.K. manufacturers have to label sun
creams in accordance with EU recommendations and this is as follows for UVB protection, SPF -
The UVA protection should be at least a third of
the SPF and then they will put UVA in a circle. You may find this as well as or
instead of the UVA star rating.
Applying your sun cream
B.A.D. suggest that most people apply less than
half the amount of sun cream needed to offer the SPF protection stated on the
packaging. When the SPF is tested in a product, an average adult needs to apply at
least six full teaspoons (around 36 grams) to cover their whole body. It should
be applied around 15 - 30 minutes before going out in the sun to allow it time to
dry and then reapplied every two hours to ensure adequate protection.
Some products state they are water resistant and
personally, I think this is misleading as all it means is that they’ve been
tested for two 20 minute swims without towel drying. Water also reflects UV
rays which will increase exposure and we know that our children often want to
stay in the water playing for hours and most sun creams won’t give them that
kind of protection, so I think something like a SPF vest is probably the
answer, rather than relying on sun cream.
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| Girl applying sun cream image by Matthew Bechelli, thanks to Shutterstock |
Is any tan safe?
In a nutshell the answer is no. When our skin
goes red or browner it is through damage and those of us with lighter skin
types need to embrace the pale and interesting look or otherwise use a safe fake tanning product to give us that summer glow. I was interested to read on the
Cancer Research site that your skin does not have to be raw, peeling or
blistering to be considered sun burnt. Any redness is sun burnt and that getting
burnt just once every two years could triple your risk of melanoma skin cancer.
Of course
we all need vitamin D and a great source is natural sunlight but the NHS and
B.A.D. both state that we shouldn’t risk sun damage and ultimately cancer.
Vitamin D can be gained through our diet and just going about our daily business
rather than sunbathing.
Recommendations for Good Practises in the Sun
- Spend time in the shade at the hottest part of the day 11am - 3pm
- Wear a wide[brimmed sun hat and sunglasses
- Choose clothes that naturally detract the UV more, like loose-fitting darker clothes (ideally made from polyester, wool, silk or nylon) with a close weave that don’t reflect the rays or allow them to pass through.
- Use a sun cream with at least SPF 30 and 4 or 5 stars for UVA.
- If you plan to be out in the sun for long enough to burn then you need to apply sun cream 15-30 minutes before you go out and also once you're out to ensure there are no missed areas and that it is applied thickly enough.
- Reapply your sun cream every 2 hours and after swimming, sweating or towel drying as it is very easy to remove.
- The NHS recommend that babies 6 months and under are kept out of direct strong sunlight.
- If you have lots of moles, make sure you check them regularly for any changes and consult your GP if you’re worried at all.
- Remember the shadow rule. Holloway’s rule is an easy way to know when the sun is strongest, basically your shadow will be shorter than you.
Does Sun cream have an expiry date?
Yes, it does, check on the back of your bottle.
Some will have an actual date and others will show a jar along with something like 12M or
24M by it. This means the product will last 12 or 24 months once opened. Also, be aware though that if you are taking your product out into the sun with you
it may lessen how long it performs at the suggested protection factor can diminish with the heat.
Useful Resources
- B.A.D. Have a very useful sunscreen information sheet that you can download for free
- Check out the information on the Cancer Research website about how the sun and UV cause cancer
- The World UV App is available free of charge to check the level of harmful rays for anywhere in the world on any given day
I hope this post has been useful to you and reassures you when choosing some sun cream to protect your family. If you have any other tips or gems of wisdom to share please do leave a comment.
