We all know that SPF is a must when it comes to skincare. Right?
Well, apparently not.
According to research carried out by Medino, 77% of UK residents over the age of 18 don’t wear sunscreen to protect themselves from the UK sun.
But 91% said that they do use sunscreen when they travel abroad.
And now new research has revealed that 1 in 4 UK adults who don’t wear SPF believe they don’t need to as the sun in the UK ‘isn’t strong enough.’
But experts have shed light on why this isn’t the right mindset to have – and simply isn’t true.
After all, the sun is still the sun whether you’re in England or Greece – and with global warming and the increasing temperature we see each summer – the weather in the UK seems hotter than ever before.
This means that if you do forgo sunscreen, you’re at more risk of developing skin cancer as well as sunburn that can damage the skin cells and blood vessels and leave skin looking older.
In fact, a new list UK areas at greater risk of UV damage has also been unveiled.
Giulia Guerrini, the lead pharmacist from digital pharmacy Medino, has said that ‘it’s important to ensure that the level of SPF in the products that you’re purchasing is actually effective.’
She has urged us all to make sure we look at the label on the product to know how the protection stacks up.
Giulia adds: ‘To fully understand the level of protection you’ll be getting, you need to understand how long it usually takes your skin to turn red without SPF.
‘Multiply that number by the SPF number on the label and this will indicate how long you can stay in the sun, while staying protected.
‘For example, if it takes ten minutes for you to turn red, then a cream with SPF15 will protect you for about 150 minutes.
‘SPF isn’t just affected by the amount of time in the sun, though; it’s also about the amount of exposure you get – which will be affected by the time of the day it is, the weather, latitude, and even the season, for example.’
It’s recommended that we look out for specific ingredients when buying sun protection.
Giulia explains that the good ingredients that offer substantial sun protection are Homosalate, a frequently used UV filter; Octyl Salicylate, which filters out UV rays; and Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, which filters UV rays and converts them to heat, making UV rays less harmful.
She adds that the level of SPF protection within beauty products, such as foundations and moisturisers, isn’t the same level as you find in sunscreens and will not protect you as well.
This means you may have to apply a strong SPF underneath your makeup.
‘You’re unlikely to reapply beauty products as often as you’d reapply sunscreen, and you’re also not going to apply anywhere near as much of the product as you’d actually need to in order to benefit from the SPF,’ Giulia explains.
‘It’s vital that you ensure that you’re protecting your skin from UV rays with proper SPF protection to prevent any future skin damage.’
She adds that two fingers worth of sunscreen is the recommended amount for sufficient protection.
Do you have a story to share?
Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
Source: Read Full Article
