The Importance of Sunscreen

The weather’s picking up in the UK in the coming weeks albeit sunny and cloudy intervals, but that doesn’t mean you can forgot the sunscreen. Here, we answer all the questions we regularly get asked about suncare!

“Do I need to apply sunscreen even if it’s not sunny?”

In short, YES! Most people think that on a dull or overcast day SPF isn’t required, but even if the sun’s not out, the UV rays can damage the skin. UV rays pass through clouds very easily, so don’t be deceived as even on cloudy days up to 90% of the sun’s UV rays still penetrate your skin[1]. Every time you are outdoors, the damage of UV rays is affecting your skin; it’s accumulative. Your skin cells may be being damaged at cellular level, without you even knowing.

“What does SPF stand for, and what does the number mean?”

Well, SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor and is a measurement used to grade the effectiveness of a sunscreen. It represents the length of time you can stay out without being burnt. In other words, SPF 15 means that you can stay out 15 times longer than if you were wearing no lotion at all. SPF30 is not twice as strong as SPF15, but in theory protects you for twice as long (dependent on how often the product needs to be reapplied - always read the label). When it comes to strength and effectiveness, SPF15 offers 92% protection from UV rays, whereas SPF30 offers 97% and SPF40 97.5%. From these figures you can see that there is a noticeable difference between SPF 15 and 30 so in general we recommend anything with SPF30 or higher if you are going to be out in the sun's strong rays for long periods of time.

How much sunscreen should I be applying, how often, and just how?

A study has shown that on average we only apply 25-50% of the amount of sunscreen we are supposed to in one application[2]. At least 30ml of sunscreen, which is a full shot glass, should be used for one all-over body application. It is best to slather on your first application of sun lotion all over on dry, clean skin before you get dressed so you can be sure that you don't miss any patches. For those difficult to reach places, ask a friend/family member/partner to help you. Mineral sunscreens are effective immediately after application but synthetic sunscreens take half an hour to work. As a rule of thumb, apply every couple of hours, being sure to take into consideration your personal burn time, and after swimming. Mineral sunscreens are waterproof but it is better to be safe than sorry!

How else can people protect themselves from the sun?

There are many actions we can take to protect our skin from sun damage before the sun has even come out to play! Our skin is the largest organ of our body and is very much affected by what we eat and drink. If someone's diet is bad, say they tend to eat a lot of processed or sugary foods, you can almost guarantee this will be reflected in their skin. They might have spots, oily skin or a dull complexion. For our skin to be in its strongest, healthiest state we need to feed it foods that contain all the essential nutrients it needs.

We've been told since childhood “eat your greens” but we should be eating a rainbow of fresh raw vegetables and fruits to benefit from the antioxidants these foods hold within them. Antioxidants protect skin from free radical damage and the sun's rays are just one way that free radical damage can happen.

Click here to shop our Sun Protection collection, featuring the best natural suncare products from Alba Botanica, JASON and Antipodes to help do the best for your skin this summer.

References
[1] Global Solar UV Index. World Health Organization- http://www.who.int/uv/publications/en/UVIGuide.pdf
[2]  Neale, R, Williams, G, Green, A.  Application patterns among participants randomized to daily sunscreen use in a skin cancer prevention trial. Arch Dermatol. 2002 Oct; 138, 1319-1325.