Here comes the sun how to keep your skin looking its best when the heat is on
Why does sunbathing make me look older? is it Ok to use last year’s Spf? Can i use any sunscreen on my face? Charley Williams-howitt has the lowdown
Like a lot of my friends i’ll slather on Spf 50 on the beach in ibiza but forget to apply protection sitting outside on a sunny lunch break. We need to abandon the crash-and-burn approach – you know, rolling up our sleeves and baking ourselves at the slightest sign of sunshine – because sunbathing is damaging. Skin cancer is on the rise – melanoma incidence rates have increased by 119% in the uk since the early 90s – and uva exposure is one of the speediest routes to prematurely aged skin. french skincare brand Caudalie recently carried out a study on 62-year old identical twins; one had exposed her face to the sun excessively, the other hadn’t. The visual results were powerful and you don’t need a science degree to work out which had a leathery-look complexion.
But we tend not to think about the ugly stuff when the warm sun feels so wonderful on our skin. it lifts your mood and transforms pale, sad limbs into something that look a darn sight better. and then there’s the palpable health advantage of sunlight prompting our bodies to create crucial vitamin d. So how do we reconcile our love of the sun with sustaining healthy skin? no one is saying live in a cave! indeed some sunshine, below sunburn level, can be good for us, agrees The British association of dermatologists (Bad). But if you do burn, it’s no joke. going red is harmful, ageing and won’t last. But why do we burn? “Because uv rays are radiation and damage the skin, causing a burning reaction,” says Boots Soltan Suncare expert Clare O’Connor. “Our skin can only take a certain amount of uv radiation before the dna in skin cells is damaged and an inflammatory response is triggered, causing sunburn.” This is why understanding which protection is right for us, our face and our health is crucial.
What exactly is UVA and UVB?
Think uv “a” for ageing. it affects the elastin in our skin and can create that craggy-like complexion. a uva protection in a sunscreen will help defend your skin against this photoageing and, potentially, skin cancer. Think uv “B” for burning. This can lead to malignant melanoma and basal cell carcinoma (types of skin cancer). using a sunscreen with a high Spf (sun protection factor) will help block uvB rays, prevent redness and skin damage that can cause skin cancer.
Decoding the label
The Spf is a measure of how long the sunscreen protects against uvB rays from the sun. “if your skin normally goes red within 10 or 20 minutes of exposing it to the sun without protection, applying Spf 50 means that it would take up to 50 times as long for the same to happen,” says dermatologist dr Justine kluk. Spf 15 gives about 93% protection compared with 97% for Spf 30 and 98% for Spf 50. The uva star rating, ranging from 0 to 5, indicates the percentage of uva radiation absorbed by the sunscreen in comparison with uvB, in other words, the ratio between the level of protection offered by the uva protection and the uvB protection. a good sunscreen is called “broad spectrum” and protects against both types. Water-resistant products retain sun protection after you go for a dip. But be careful when drying off as up to 85% can be removed – so reapply after swimming or sweating.
How to apply
There are so many sunscreens available, from waters and mousses to sprays and gels, it’s tricky to say how much exactly you should apply. But as a rule of thumb, a golf ball-sized blob, applied in an even layer, is about the right amount for your whole body and a teaspoon if you’re just applying to your face and neck. always apply to clean, dry skin in the shade or ideally indoors 30 minutes before you go into the sun. “if applied in direct sunlight, it can evaporate from your skin’s surface before it has a chance to bond and becomes less effective,” says abi Cleeve, Md of ultrasun uk. >>
Chemical filters in sunscreen absorb UVA and UVB rays so that your skin cells don’t have to – result! According to the World Health Organisation, up to 90% of the visible changes commonly attributed to ageing may be caused by sun exposure