Skin savers: Staying safe in the sun

With the heatwave of recent weeks, and cases of skin cancer set to soar in the next 20 years, it’s important to know how best to shield your body from the sun, writes Peta Beep

WHO needs a package holiday to Mallorca when we are having a heatwave of our own? As temperatures have soared to unthinkable highs, nudging 30C at some stages of last week, we are soaking up sunshine that rivals any of our summer sun hotspots. These rays are such a rarity that we are relishing them while they last. But are we doing so at a price?

Skin cancer is now the most common cancer in Ireland with the Irish Cancer Society reporting around 11,000 new cases annually. The charity is warning that we face an epidemic of the disease with a predicted increase of two-thirds by 2040 when cases are numbers of those diagnosed are expected to rise to 19,000 a year. Most are caused by exposure to the sun’s UV rays and experts are warning that the current uncharacteristically hot temperatures are causing rash behaviour when it comes to sun protection.

“As a nation, we love to get out when the sun shines, but it is important that we look after our skin and follow the SunSmart code,” says Liz Yeates, chief executive of the Marie Keating Foundation and a survivor of skin cancer. “When it comes to sunscreen in particular there are lots of misconceptions and a lack of understanding around what is considered safe.”

Nobody wants to burn, yet we all want that healthy, sunkissed glow of summer. What are the new rules for sun protection and how should we be saving our skin? Here are the six golden rules for safe sun exposure:

Don’t think you can go without suncream

One of the big misconceptions is that regular Irish summers aren’t damaging to the skin and that cloudy days somehow filter out damaging UV rays. Skin protection is something we should think about every day, whatever the weather. Indeed, the Irish Cancer Society conducted a study which found that UV levels across Ireland were high enough to cause skin damage on almost 90% of the days between April and September.

“If the sky isn’t clear or the sun isn’t splitting the rocks, many people seem to think that UV rays are not something we need to worry about,” says skin expert Jennifer Rock, known as the skin nerd (theskinnerd.com). “It’s just not true.”

UVA rays can damage the skin at a deeper depth than the UVB rays that cause sunburn and tanning. “They are here all year round, can attack you through windows, clouds, you name it.”

Even on a plane, you should wear suncream, experts say. Studies have shown that although the UVB radiation, most associated with sunburn, is blocked by the windows of a plane, the UVA radiation is not and can penetrate through the windows to your skin.

Don’t forget sunscreen when you play sport

A recent study carried out in Ireland, found the largest increase in cases of skin cancer was found in young affluent city dwellers.

“It is likely that they are getting skin cancer from being exposed to repeated sunburn, probably when out and about at leisure activities,” reports the Irish Cancer Society.

Dr Bav Shergill, a consultant dermatologist who has studied the risks, says it has become a gross misconception that sunbathing is the major risk factor for skin cancer. “Outdoor sports are right up there. If you play tennis or golf, if you cycle or run long distances, then you can spend several hours beneath the sun’s harshest rays.”

Permanent freckles on the shoulders, arms, and back are common among sportspeople and a sign that they have been sunburnt at some point.

Perspiration can heighten the risks. Sweat, or any kind of moisture on the skin, reduces damaging UV light to shorter wavelengths that are more easily absorbed. This lowers the minimal erythema dose, the lowest UV light exposure or level of radiation needed to turn the skin a risky shade of pink, making sunburn more likely.

Skin cancer is so commonplace on the PGA Tour that golfers are now acutely aware of the risks. Rory McIlroy has said he puts on an SPF moisturiser daily, applies sunscreen during his round, and sees a dermatologist regularly.

Last year’s sunscreen is probably OK to use

While suncreams have a shelf-life, they will last up to three years if unopened and stored properly in a cool, dark environment. If you have opened the product and it is still within the timeline on the label, the Health Products Regulatory Authority of Ireland advises to check it hasn’t separated before using. Likewise, if it smells different when you come to use it, the likelihood is it past its best.

Since expiry dates are often stamped on the cardboard packaging, you may not remember when that half-used bottle at the back of your bathroom cabinet was bought. It’s best to ditch it if that’s the case as after three years, the potency is much lower than when it was bought.

Use an SPF 30 or above

An SPF rating is the relative time it takes for you to burn — so, if it typically takes 10 minutes for your skin to turn red in the sun, then, if used correctly, an SPF 30 sunscreen should provide 30 times that — 300 minutes — of protection.

You also need a product with UVA protection, so look for a ‘broad spectrum’ product with UVA rating on the label.

Advice from the Irish Cancer society is to use an SPF 30 product over lower SPFs, the theory being that if you don’t apply it well, you at least stand a chance of getting a little extra protection.

A paper published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology in May suggested higher-rating sun creams might offer additional protection. Dermatologists asked subjects to apply different factor creams to either side of their face and neck on a sunny day and the following day they rated the severity of sunburn.

On average, the sunburn score of the lower SPF (in this case SPF 50) was more than twice as bad as the higher (SPF 100).

“In the real world, the higher SPFs are much more forgiving, and since people are under- applying sunscreen, they’re much more likely to protect,” said Darrell Rigel, a professor of dermatology at New York University and one of the paper’s authors.

You need to apply it more than once a day

Sunlight is composed of UV light photons which, when they strike your skin, generate free radicals and can damage your DNA. Sunburn is the short-term result, but over time, these light photons cause premature ageing of the skin and contribute to the thousands of new cases of skin cancer each year.

The purpose of a suncream is to stop as many of these UV light photons as possible before they can reach the skin. Whatever the label may promise, no cream is infallible and none is a complete insurance policy against spending as much time as you like in the sun.

In Australia, sun protection is taken seriously and the fact the country has banned claims about “once-a-day” or “24-hour” protection from a cream speaks volumes.

Recent tests by the British consumer association, Which?, showed that after six to eight hours of wear, the average SPF of once-only creams dropped by 74%, the equivalent of the protection offered by a SPF30 dropping to an SPF8.

The purpose of suncream is to let you stay out in the sun for longer, but whatever the quality and factor of that cream, there is a tipping point beyond which you will burn. The Irish Cancer Society advises applying it 20 minutes before going out in the sun and then reapplying every two hours that you are outside.

Make sure you use enough

Any SPF will come with a caveat in its instructions, explaining that it will only provide the stated protection if ‘used correctly’. And the problem is, most of us don’t.

Last year, a study from University of Liverpool’s Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease found that on average people applied sunscreen so badly that they missed almost 10% of their face — the SPF was applied most poorly around the eyes and nose. More than three quarters of subjects missed putting sunscreen on the inner corner of the eye and the nose. You should also apply cream to your eyelids, temples, and ears.

According to the Irish Cancer Society, the average adult needs 35ml of sunscreen to cover the whole body. “We recommend using a measure of half a teaspoon of sunscreen to cover each arm, the face, neck, and ears,” say the experts.

“Use a measure of one teaspoon for each leg, the front, and the back of the body.”