Sunscreen warning: be sure to use near eyes

Sunbathers urged to ignore advice to avoid sensitive areas and to apply factor 30 all over to lower cancer risk

WARNINGS on sunscreen telling people to avoid applying lotion near their eyes are putting sunbathers at a heightened risk of cancer, research reveals.

Dermatologists found that people taking part in a trial failed to apply sun cream to key areas of the face – around a tenth of the surface area – despite these regions being the site of a significant proportion of skin cancers.

Experts described the results as “worrying” and warned all sunbathers to “go back to basics” with head-to-toe smothering of factor 30 sun cream or stronger. Scientists at the University of Liverpool asked 57 people to apply sun cream to their faces, but gave them no further instructions.

A Uv-sensitive camera then found that three quarters failed to apply any to the area between the inner corner of the eye and the bridge of the nose, while on average 13.5 per cent of the participants’ eyelids were left unprotected. Malignant skin cancers afflict more than 15,400 people in the UK each year, killing around 2,460, and up to 10 per cent begin on the eyelids.

Meanwhile, nine in 10 basal cell carcinomas, the most common of all forms in the UK, occur on the head or neck. These are flesh-coloured moles that bleed easily, but rarely mutate to form tumours in other parts of the body. Researchers found that, even after people in the trial were told about the dangers of sun to the eyelids, there was only a slight improvement in sun cream application, with an average 7.7 per cent of the face unprotected, compared to 9.5 per cent before the warning.

They recommend that people wear sunglasses if they are too absent minded or squeamish to fully apply sun cream to the area around their eyes.

Dr Kevin Hamill, of the University of Liverpool and one of the researchers, said: “It’s worrying that people find it so hard to sufficiently apply sunscreen to their face, an area which is particularly at risk of skin cancer due to the amount of sun exposure it receives. Perhaps the most important thing to take away from this research is the importance of sunglasses.

“Most people consider the point of sunglasses is to protect the eyes, specifically corneas, from UV damage, and to make it easier to see in bright sunlight. However, they do more than that – they protect the highly cancer-prone eyelid skin as well.”

Most bottles of sun cream in the UK come with a warning to avoid the lotion coming into contact with the eyes and to flush thoroughly if contact occurs. The research, which was presented at the British Association of Dermatologists’ annual conference, comes a month after health experts warned increasing number of British children are being put at risk because parents are abandoning sun cream.

An investigation by NHS England and the Met Office found that almost two fifths of parents mistakenly believe that suntans are a sign of good health.

NHS England said the findings showed a “worryingly relaxed attitude” towards sun care among the parents of young children.