WHAT YOU NEED to know about sunblock’s active ingredients, how to put it on, and stay safe when you’re out in the sun.
We think we know what to do, but skin cancer rates are still increasing, and Cancer Research UK says that every year there are about 375,000 new cases of skin cancer in the UK.
Sunlight has photons of ultraviolet light, which, when they hit your skin, make free radicals that can damage your DNA. Sunscreen has molecules that create a barrier between your skin and these UV rays. They work, but only if you use them the right way.
No product protects you from the sun 24 hours a day. Which? magazine did tests that showed the average SPF of once-only creams dropped by 74% after six to eight hours of use. It is the same as going from an SPF 30 to an SPF 8. And ignore the label that says “water-resistant”—it doesn’t mean anything, says Which?
It won’t keep the sun from shining.
An SPF number is how long it usually takes for a person to burn. For example, if it usually takes ten minutes to burn, an SPF 30 sunscreen should give 30 times that amount of protection or 300 minutes. Still, no matter how excellent or thick the cream is, there is a point beyond which you will burn. Sun protection products are more like a sieve than a block. No cream gives total protection; sunlight always gets through if it isn’t reapplied completely, and more UV rays will reach the skin.
Pick a higher SPF.
Kantar Worldpanel says that we are already moving towards products with SPFs of 40 and above, and fewer people are buying products with SPFs of 0 to 15, especially in the summer, which seems like good news.
A product with a higher SPF lets less of the light rays that can burn the skin. A sunscreen with an SPF of 10 allows 10 out of every 100 photons of light to reach the skin, while one with an SPF of 50 lets only 2 out of every 100 photons of light reach the skin. In other places, like the United States, you can buy SPF 100, similar to SPF 50.
But a paper in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology says that higher-rated sun creams might offer more protection. Dermatologists had people put different factor creams on each side of their face and neck on a warm day, then asked them to rate how bad their sunburn was the next day. The sunburn score for the lower SPF (SPF 50 in this case) was more than twice as bad as that for the higher SPF (SPF 100). Higher SPFs are much more forgiving in real life, and since most people don’t put on enough sunscreen, they are much more likely to work.
Remember UVA.
Cancer Research UK says on its website that “going higher than SPF 15 might not give you the extra protection you’d expect.” It’s not just because people misapply high SPF creams and are tempted to stay in the sun longer than is safe. Another thing to remember is that a sun cream’s SPF only refers to how well it blocks UVB rays, which are the leading cause of sunburn and a critical factor in developing skin cancer. But about 95% of the UV light that hits Earth is UVA, which goes deeper into the skin and passes through clouds and glass. It can also cause or start skin cancer and is a big part of ageing. Unlike UVB, its strength doesn’t change during the day’s hottest times.
It is why Cancer Research UK advises people to cover up and look for shade, as well as buy products with a UVA star value of between four and five. Be aware that the star method is based on how much UVA and UVB protection there is, so not all five-star ratings are the same.
Check to see what’s in it.
Physical (or mineral) filters and chemical filters are the two types of active ingredients found in sunscreens. Most adult products on the market are made of chemicals like oxybenzone, retinyl palmitate, octocrylene, and octinoxate. These chemicals are meant to seep into the skin. Mineral sunscreens use zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, which sit on the skin’s surface and aren’t absorbed, leaving behind a white, chalky layer. Some goods have parts of both types. Concerns have been raised about chemicals that cause allergies or act like hormones in the body, as shown in lab studies. Oxybenzone, benzophenone-3, is the most interesting because it has been linked to hormone disorders.
But some people worry that chemicals in them harm sea life and coral reefs. In May, Hawaii became the first US state to pass a law that says sunscreens with oxybenzone and octinoxate should be banned because they could hurt the environment “significantly.”
What should you do if you are worried? Choose a baby, children’s, or mineral sunscreen with ingredients like zinc oxide that sit on top of the skin and don’t get soaked into it. Mineral products that don’t look white will cost more, but they can be found. Also, read the fine print. Companies usually say when their goods do not contain oxybenzone.
Don’t pay too much.
More expensive cream may be worth it because you can barely see it on your skin, so you look better. However, you might not see areas you have missed, which could be a problem. With a cheaper product or one made for kids, which aren’t meant to be absorbed, they turn white when applied, you can see where you haven’t put it on, and the cream reflects the sun, giving you even more protection. Sunscreen for children and babies is also cheaper because you don’t have to pay VAT.
The used sunblock doesn’t work.
Sunscreen can be used for up to three years if stored correctly in a cool, dark place. When you go to use it, if it smells different, it’s past its prime.
