The definitive guide to putting your sun cream on correctly

Friday 19 May at 3:32pm

Melanoma skin cancer rates in the UK have risen by 119% since the early 90s and it's now the fifth most common cancer in the country. But how easy is it to stay safe in the sun?

Alice Beer is on hand to discuss the latest Which report on sunscreen protection and tell us why we’ve been using it all wrong.

SPF MYTHS DEBUNKED

If you take 10 minutes to turn red in the sun - how long with SPF 30 allow you to spend in the sun? 30 x 10 = 300 minutes.
If you reapply after an hour can you add another hour onto your sun exposure time? No the 300 minutes is with regular reapplying.
What does SPF protect you from? UVA or UVB? SPF only applies to UVB protection i.e. burning of the top layer of the skin. UVA goes deeper than the epidermis and causes ageing. Both are associated with skin cancer so you should be using a product that protects from both.
If your sunscreen is SPF 30 and water resistant - how should you adapt your timing if your child is in the swimming pool? It is allowed to only be SPF 15 when in the water so will only protect for half the length of time.
Is SPF 30 twice as effective as SPF 15? No the SPF is about time not level of protection. SPF15 filters 93.3% of UVB radiation, SPF30 filters 96.7%. No sunscreen can ever filter 100% UV radiation.
How much sunscreen should you use in teaspoons for your whole body? - 7 teaspoons. One for each arm and leg, one for torso front and another for back and one for face. A full bottle will do 6 adults full application.
SPF IN MAKEUP: These are very confusing. For any product to offer the SPF it claims, you need to apply 2mg per cm2 - which means around a teaspoon of product needs to be applied to your face. And as with sunscreen it needs to be regularly reapplied. In reality you are unlikely to do this. For example a 30ml bottle of foundation would only last six applications.