SUN PROTECTION FACTOR

1.
Sun Protection Factor (SPF) tells you how long you can stay in the sun (and take good care of your skin at the same time).

Sun Protection Factor 30 means that the sunscreen extends the time it takes for the skin to turn red by 30 times compared to without sunscreen. However, how long sun protection factor 30 protects in the sun can vary depending on several factors such as skin type, the intensity of the sun's rays, activity level and how the sunscreen is applied (Source: Danish Cancer Society)

A sun hat, T-shirt or umbrella is also a good complement to sunscreen.

THE SUN'S UVA AND UVB RAYS

2.
Protect yourself from UVA radiation. UVA rays are the UV rays that age the skin (A for aging). UVA rays can penetrate window glass, so it may make sense to use sunscreen if you often drive a car (because the sun will always hit you primarily on the left cheek = greater risk of pigment changes).

3.
Also protect yourself from UVB radiation. UVB rays are responsible for tanning (and burning!) UVB cannot penetrate window glass (so you won't get a tan from lying in the shade behind the living room window).

Make sure to use a sunscreen that contains both UVA and UVB filters.

TOO OLD?

4.
Do you remember when you first started using your sunscreen? There's a good chance your sunscreen needs to be replaced.

Forget about storing sunscreen and reusing it year after year. Look on the packaging for the symbol that looks like a jar of cream with an open lid. How many months does it say the product will last (after opening)?

It's important not to use too little sunscreen! You can write the opening date on the bottom or top of the lid, then you can be sure to avoid sunscreen with less effective sun filters (because the effect decreases over time, especially if it is often in the heat at the beach). 

ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH?

5.
Most of us use way too little sunscreen. You need to reapply sunscreen every 4 hours.

HOW MUCH?

6.
How much sunscreen do you need? Definitely more than you think: 1 tsp (5 ml.) for each arm, each leg, front, back and face. That's 7 x 5 ml. for a whole body! Repeat every four hours.

FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

7.
The whole family benefits from sunscreen. Remember also children, who are generally more sensitive to the harmful effects of the sun compared to adult skin. Their skin has less melanin, making them more susceptible to sunburn and other forms of damage caused by UV rays.

FACTOR

8.

A sun protection factor of 30 means that the sunscreen will extend the time it takes for your skin to get sunburned by 30 times. If you would normally get sunburned after 10 minutes in the sun without protection, a sunscreen with factor 30 will extend that time to 300 minutes (10 minutes x 30). This means that in theory you can stay in the sun 30 times longer before your skin turns red and sunburned. As mentioned earlier, we recommend that you reapply every four hours.

Although SPF 50 offers a higher level of protection than SPF 30, the difference is not as great as the numbers suggest. SPF 30 blocks about 97% of UVB rays, while SPF 50 blocks about 98%. So there is only a marginal improvement in the level of protection between the two factors. Source: American Academy of Dermatology Association: "Sunscreens explained."

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