The Inland Magazine™
Sun Cream Guide Living in Spain most of us are aware of the dangers of being exposed to the sun. Whenever we step outside even on cloudy days that exposure can increase, especially when the sun is refl ected from the beach, snow or water. To protect ourselves we need to cover up with tight woven fabrics, to prevent the sun from getting through and also to wear a hat with a brim, a cap, sunglasses, long sleeved shirts and trousers. However this is not always practical and more often than not there are times when we want to enjoy the sun. Therefore the use of sun creams when exposed to the sun becomes more important. There are a large range of products available to us and different creams are more suitable for certain skin types than others. Sun creams are given an SPF factor and the greater the SPF factor the greater the protection against harmful UVB rays which cause burning. A high SPF factor will only help prevent burning - it will not always protect against UVA rays, which are not taken into account when calculating the SPF. UVA protection is usually rated separately between 2 and 4.
The SPF factor indicates the time that it takes to get a mild sunburn with and without the sunscreen. So if using a sun cream with SPF8 you can stay in the sun 8 times more than you could without sun cream. Another way of looking at it is that it takes twice as much sun time to get a mild burn when covered with a sunscreen rated SPF 40 as when covered with one rated SPF 20. The SPF factor does not tell you how long you can stay in the sun. This depends on the pigment content of your skin (how light or dark you are), the sun’s intensity and time of day you are exposed, cloud cover, and how well you are protected in other ways. One common mistake when applying sun cream is that it is often applied too thinly, on average an egg cup amount should be suffi cient to cover the whole body and this needs to be reapplied every 2-3hrs. It should be noted that most sun creams need to be applied at least 30 minutes before going out into the sun, to allow its activation. Always reapply sun cream after swimming. When applying sunscreen, pay particular attention to the nose, cheeks, forehead, backs of ears, neck and shoulders, since these are fi rst to catch the sun. Some products contain a temporary colouring to make sure you don’t miss any exposed skin, this is especially useful to babies and infants. There are a few products now available on the market that can either be used immediately or do not require reapplication, check product directions prior to use. In some areas the use of an insect repellent may also be required. Some sun cream products contain the repellant within the cream, if not you must apply an insect repellant on top of your sun cream. We mentioned clothing in the beginning of this article which can also provide us a degree of protection too and this can be converted into an SPF factor, see below. Nylon Tights - SPF 2, Hats - SPF 3-6, Summer Light weight clothing - SPF 6.5, Sun protective clothing - up to SPF 30
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