Rubbing in suncream ‘reduces its effectiveness’

SUNBATHERS have been warned that rubbing suncream into the skin can dramatically reduce its effectiveness.

Protection against UVA light, which releases free radicals thought to cause skin cancers and premature ageing, is cut to almost zero when sunscreen is rubbed in to the extent that it is no longer visible, a research charity said.

The Restoration of Appearance and Function Trust (Raft) said the risk of damage could actually be increased because the cream still stops the skin burning, encouraging people to lie in the sun for longer.

Dr Rachel Haywood, a senior scientist at Raft, told the Daily Mail that suncreams work, but only if they are applied in a thick “buttery” layer.

She told the newspaper: “Evidence suggests that melanoma often originates through acute sunlight exposure in childhood. Suncreams are not sufficient. Youngsters should be covering up and staying in the shade.”

She told GMTV: “What we’ve found, and these are preliminary findings, is that if the cream is rubbed in such that it can’t be seen anymore, then we find a reduction in free radical protection from 55% to 0% at 2mg per centimetre squared.”

Dr Haywood added: “Our research shows that the only real protection exists if you apply a buttery white film and let it dry on the surface of the skin.”

Boots, which makes Soltan sunscreen, said Raft’s findings conflicted with other research that had found all good quality suncreams offered protection against UVA.

Spokesman Mike Brown said: “Suncreams are designed to be rubbed in, and so we do this when we test the UVA protection Soltan gives. There are a number of different tests that are standard across Europe and Soltan’s UVA protection consistently gives high levels of protection against UVA in all these tests.”