As the days become longer and the clothes become sparse, the inevitable influx of sun warnings become as extreme as the bushfire levels.
With contradicting schools of thought on sun protection, it gets more difficult to decide on our preferred method of sun care. Where 1 in 3 Australians are now Vitamin D deficient, 1 in 17 Australians will be diagnosed with melanoma before the age of 85, expert advice is really the only way to turn to determine the best solution for you and your family.
So, what does SPF really mean?
Tracey Beeby, Ultraceuticals National Training Manager advises an SPF rating is a measure of a sunscreen’s ability to prevent UV radiation from damaging the skin. “If you normally burn in 10 minutes without sunscreen, then correctly applying an SPF increases this time by a factor of 30 – not by 30 hours,” she says. “However, it is critical to note, that an SPF only extends the time you can spend in the sun before you burn, it does not stop you burning.”
Higher SPFs do help; An SPF 15 sunscreen blocks 93 percent of UVB radiation, while an SPF 30 sunscreen blocks nearly 97 percent and SPF 50 blocks an estimated 98 percent of UVB rays.
Is sunscreen really blocking Vitamin D?
According to a recent article in the Harvard Medical Schools Health Publication, “Sunscreens are a dilemma, because they block UVB light.” This particular UVB light is the same that your body uses to produce vitamin D.
Founder of SkinDNA and a specialist in skin genetics, Stefan Mazy said, “Artificial sunscreen absorbs ultraviolet light and prevents it from reaching the skin. Sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 8 based on the UVB spectrum can decrease vitamin D synthetic capacity by 95 per cent, whereas sunscreen with an SPF of 15 can reduce synthetic capacity by 98 per cent. “
What are the alternatives?
Stefan recommends using a natural sun block containing ZINC Oxide, broad spectrum antioxidants Vitamin C, Ferulic Acid and of course appropriate clothing, hats. For sufficient Vitamin D, Stefan recommends direct exposure to the sun in between the hours of 11am and 3pm for 10 minutes unprotected, as this is the right angle for the sun to produce Vitamin D.
How can we check our skin?
Monitor your moles – 8 out of 10 melanomas don’t arise from existing moles of freckles. Developed and approved by dermatologists world-wide, you can use the ABCDE skin-checking method to spot any irregularities from time spent in the sun:
A for asymmetry: A mole that is not round or oval in shape, which has contours and colouring that are not evenly distributed around its centre.
B for Border: Irregular, jagged borders.
C for Colour: A mole that has several colours (brown, red, white, black).
D for diameter: A diameter greater than 6mm (size of a pencil eraser).
E for evolution: A mole that quickly changes in size, shape, thickness or colour.
So are you ready to become a skin checker? If you needed any more convinving, let our friends from La Roche-Posay help you out…