It’s fair to say that the UK has its share of dreary weather with June’s rain being a prime example; the problem is this has left us all a little careless with sun screen, with most of us only buying it and applying it when we are jetting off to sunnier climes. So it may surprise you to know that in the UK there are now more cases of skin cancer per year than breast and lung cancer combined – which equates to around 10,400 cases of malignant melanoma diagnoses each year. Melanoma makes up 10% of skin cancers and it is the most serious due to its ability to spread to other organs; 2000 people in England and Wales die from this each year. Then there is the less aggressive non-melanoma, with an estimated 100,000 new cases each year which thankfully in most cases are unlikely to spread are less aggressive and generally can be treated.
So what do you need to know?
There is a genetic factor – being fair skinned does put you at more risk. As does burning in the sun as a child or in your teenage years. If you have children – get them into a sensible sun routine as early as possible.
Monitor your moles – if you have lots or some that are oddly shaped (atypical) then you are more susceptible. Keep a regular check of them and report any changes to your GP.
Vitamin D is good for you – exposing yourself to the sun for 10 minutes a day without sunblock is advised as it will increase your vitamin D levels which is good for general health and bones. In the UK we may not get enough sunlight in the winter months, but the body is clever and can store up vitamin D during the summer and then use it when we need it. Do not stay out until you are pink though, as at this point you will have already saturated the level of Vitamin D you can take on board and you will have exposed yourself to damaging your skin.
So, just what does SPF mean – well, products Sun Protection Factor (SPF) measures how much longer you can stay in the sun without burning. So it means different lengths of time for different people. If you would normally burn in 10 minutes, then technically wearing a 30 SPF would allow you to stay in the sun for 300 minutes before you would burn.
But that is not the whole story – you also need protection from UVA, the damage from UVA is not so visible (i.e. will not make the skin go red), but it penetrates deep in to the skins surface and can cause more serious malignant melanoma’s and premature ageing. UVA is rated with stars 1 – 5. Look out for them on the bottle you buy.
But any suntan lotion is only as good as the person applying it and generally we do not apply it thick enough or often enough. It should be applied in a continuous film that is just visible – the thicker the sun block the better. About 35 ml is the right quantity to cover a whole adult body – meaning 2 people would get through a 200ml bottle in just two days! The lotion should be applied 30 minutes before you go out in the sun, not once you arrive at the beach or pool. If you swim – dry off and make sure you reapply.
When in doubt follow the Australian way – ‘Slip, Slop, Slap’ meaning slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, and slap on a hat.
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