All About Sunscreens
Fact: Ultraviolet (UV) radiation can cause
Skin damage including wrinkles, ageing & sunspots
Eye damage
Sunburn & Sunstroke
Skin cancer
Protecting your skin from the sun is simple and doest’t need to be expensive.Remember to:
Seek shade between 11am & 3pm
Avoid burning
Cover up with loose, woven clothing, a wide brimmed hat and sunglasses.
Sunscreen also offers some protection. It can effectively block the majority of UV radiation from reaching your skin but should only be used in combination with other methods. It is important to remember that sunscreen should’t be used in order to stay out in the sun longer, but as a way to reduce the risk of skin damage when exposure to the sun is unavoidable.
How do sunscreens work?
Sunscreens are designed to filter out, in varying degrees, the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation from reaching your skin. Sunscreens are traditionally divided into physical blocking or (reflecting) agents and UVR chemical absorbers:
Physical barriers (such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide) reflect or scatter part or all of the UV radiation away from your skin. They tend to be made of opaque products and thus can be seen when applied.
Chemical absorbers absorb part or all of the UV radiation and so prevent your skin from absorbing it. They comprise of different chemical compounds. This is the most common type of sunscreen. They are not visible when applied to the skin. Physical barriers and chemical absorbers are often used in combination in individual products. This often allows the product to absorb or reflect not only UVB, but also UVA radiation as well.
What else is in a sunscreen?
Sunscreens contain not only the sunscreen’s active ingredients above (chemical absorbers and physical barriers). They also contain a vast number of other additives necessary to ensure:
Stability of the mixture (lasts longer before losing ‘shelf life’)
Adequate mixing
Pleasant feel on the skin
Pleasant odour
Adequate anti-microbial activity.
All of the ingredients of sunscreens add to the cost and have the potential to add to the problems related to regular use. However, the health benefits to be gained from the regular use of sunscreen (in conjunction with clothing and shade) considerably outweigh any rare problems that sunscreen chemicals might cause. Nevertheless, it is always important to patch test a new product on your and your family’s skin (particularly children) to ensure you have no unusual reaction.
Where you have choice between clothing and sunscreen, clothing should be your first option because generally you will be far better protected. You can buy sunscreen as a cream, lotion or gel. All work equally well. Choose the one you prefer and that best suits your skin type.
What does “broad-spectrum” mean?
U.V radiation comes in different forms. However, two main types reach the earth, and your skin:
UVB- About 5% of radiation that reaches the earth’s surface is UVB. It is more dangerous to the skin and eyes than UVA. It burns your skin and can cause skin cancer and eye damage.
UVA- About 95% of the UV radiation that reaches the earth is UVA. Regular exposure to high doses of UVA is responsible for ageing your skin and can cause skin cancer. All sunscreens with an SPF number will filter out the UVB part of ultraviolet radiation only. However, those labelled “broad- spectrum” will filter out some of the UVA as well as UVB.
How do I know I am getting protection from UVB rays?/What does SPF mean?
All sunscreens sold in this country carry an SPF rating on the bottle. This rating may range from 2 to 60. SPF stands for “Sun Protection Factor”. This is a laboratory test, which measures how much longer it takes to burn skin that has sunscreen factor applied, than it takes to burn that skin without sunscreen.
The SPF number is only a guide to its relative strength. For example many people believe that Factor 60 is twice as protective as Factor 30. This is not the case. There is only a very small amount of difference between Factors 30 and 60 in terms of the protection they provide. SPF does not indicate protection provided against UVA radiation.
For adequate protection from the sun the Irish Cancer Society would advise all people to use at least SPF 15 or more. Sunscreen should be reapplied every two hours, regardless of the strength of the factor. This is because how long a person will take to burn depends on the:
Time of day
Time of year
The amount of reflection
How cloudy the day is
Their skin type
How do I know I am getting protection from UVA rays in my sunscreen?
Not all sunscreens provide protection from UVA rays. So when buying sunscreen you should look for a product that tells you it is:
Broad Spectrum
Or
Gives details of its UVA protection in a star system rating or some other rating.
The star rating is the most common rating and shows how good the UVA protection of a sunscreen is compared with its UVB protection. The more stars there are the more balanced the protection. It is important to reduce the exposure to UVA and UVB equally, so that the skin is not exposed to more of one than the other.
The Irish Cancer Society recommends a sunscreen with at least a 4 -star rating.
How should I apply sunscreen?
Apply liberally on all exposed areas of skin before you apply moisturiser or make up and at least 20 minutes before going out in the sun. This allows the sunscreen to bind to the skin for maximum effectiveness. The recommended amount is about a teaspoon for every arm and leg, more for the body or more frequently if it is likely to have been washed or wiped off or if you have been perspiring. Reapply every two hours, or more if you have been swimming or perspiring.
Most sunscreen’s use a moisturiser such as sorbolene as the base for the cream and are easily absorbed. Moisturisers containing sunscreen are also effectively absorbed but look for those with protection of at least 15+ and ideally broad spectrum ones (which protect against both UVA & UVB).
Re-applying sunscreen over make up is a little tricky. One way around this is to select a make up base or powder with a SPF for the times you plan to be outside for long periods. This way when you reapply your make up you will also be reapplying your sunscreen.
Don’t forget your lips!
Your lips do not contain melanin. Therefore, you need to give them extra protection. There are plenty of good lipsticks or lip balms with SPF 15+ ratings. Many cosmetics companies produce a range of products containing sunscreen.
What is the shelf life of sunscreen?
All sunscreens are required to include the expiry date and storage conditions on the label. Most sunscreens will last about two or three years and should be stored at a temperature less than 25 degree Celsius, and ideally in your cooler pack when out in the sun.
Using after-sun creams
After-sun creams and lotions may help soothe sunburnt or dry skin caused by the sun. But they can’t help repair more serious skin damage.
Is everyone affected by UV radiation?
Human skin varies greatly in response to UV exposure but almost all people require some protection from the sun’s rays, particularly if Caucasian (white skinned), no matter how dark a tan they have. Naturally brown and black skinned people can tolerate higher levels of sun exposure without getting sunburnt. In general, people with fair skin are most vulnerable to the effects of UV radiation, both short-term effects such as sunburn and long-term effects such as skin cancer and ageing.
Two thirds of Irish people have this type of skin, so take extra care if you:
Have pale or freckled skin that burns easily or doesn’t tan;
Have naturally red or fair hair;
Have blue, green or grey eyes;
Have 50 or more moles.
You should also take extra care (even if you are not the skin type above) if you:
Have a history of sunburn;
Have a personal or family history of skin cancer; or
Spend a lot of time working or playing outdoors.
This is prepared by and kindly reproduced here by permission of the Irish Cancer Society. For further please call the Irish Cancer Society Cancer Helpline, Freefone 1800 200 700 (weekdays 9am-5pm).
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