Although there are more and more people who protect themselves from the Sun during the year (ideally), with the arrival of good weather and as we approach summer, the more necessary it becomes known how to properly use sunscreen for Avoid burns from excessive sun exposure and, if this pattern is repeated, damage to the dermis which over time can lead to even skin cancer. For example, do you know exactly what your skin phototype is and what sun protection factor (SPF) is the one that corresponds to you? Do you know that a well-applied SPF 30 protects more than a poorly applied SPF 50? Do you know how much cream you should put on? What are the important parts of the body that we often forget to smear?
In Spain, where we have an annual average of 2,500 hours of sunshine, approximately, we should know the answers to those questions well, but the subject still seems confusing to many, and even unknown. It is what emerges from a study carried out at European level by Garnier Delialwhich throws very disturbing conclusions regarding solar education that we Spaniards have: it seems that we are more concerned about skin aging than melanoma.
For example, close to half of the Spaniards surveyed (the study was carried out in March on a sample of 2,000 older people), 44%, stated that they put sun protection on their face and body “sometimes, when it is very sunny and It’s hot outside.” Women are more likely to protect their skin every day: 26% do it on the body and 31% on the face, regardless of the season.
More awareness among young people
The young group stands out, from 16 to 24 years old, which is the one that protects their face and body the most, at 16% and 19%, respectively.
A curious fact, for example, is that Murcia is the region of Spain that protects the body the most on a daily basis, along with Madrid, which also stands out in daily facial protection. As more aware regions, Balearic Islands and Cantabria, where only 3% of the population say they never protect themselves. Andalusia or the Canary Islands stand out as those regions that, in the majority and despite their high insolation, only apply sunscreen sometimes, “when it is sunny and it is hot outside& rdquor ;. La Rioja is also surprising, where 20% of those surveyed admit to never putting protection on their body or face.
Regarding the time of year, summer is the main time in which we apply sunscreen, 88% use it then. In addition, we associate sun protection with vacations by 43%. Thus it is understood that the activity that we most associate with the application of a high sunscreen (SPF50) is a day at the beach. It is worrying that we do not associate sun damage with punctual departures for a coffee or a trip to work, 1 in 4 people think that protection should not be applied in these cases. Likewise, Galicians are the ones who use it the most in summer, 94%. Those who are aware even in winter are the Community of Madrid, Murcia and Castilla y León, in which more than 20% of those surveyed use it then.
The most common SPF, 50
In Spain, the most common SPF is 50, 43% of those surveyed opt for it. Women tend to choose higher filters (49% vs. 38% of men). Despite the fact that more than 7 in 10 respondents have experienced sunburn in the last decade, we still forget to apply sunscreen. Above all, “we forgot to do it before leaving home & rdquor; (27%) or “we don’t think it’s necessary for the amount of sun we’ll be exposed to& rdquor; (23%).
In view of the results of this survey, and with the arrival of good weather and holidays, the dermatologist Adrian Alegrea Spanish member of the Delial Garnier International Board of Dermatologists, offers this decalogue of advice:
SOLAR FACTOR USE GUIDE
Not all protections are the same, when choosing a sunscreen we have to look not only at the sun protection factor, but also at the technology behind that product, as in the case of netlock technology, patented by the L’Oréal laboratories, which ensures protection against UVA and UVB rays without letting the sunscreens come off the skin on contact with water. On the packaging you can see its resistance to water: ‘wet skin’ (means that it can be applied with wet skin; ‘water resistant’ (resistant to short baths, tears, sweat and humidity); ‘waterproof’ (the protection is maintained after long-term baths); ‘sweatproof’ (it is resistant to sweat), and ‘rubproof’ (resistance to friction).
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He PAO indicator It tells us the number of months that the cream can be used once opened and is usually indicated on the product packaging in the form of a container with a number. If we are going to apply protectors that we have already used last summer, we must always check that the date established for their use is still valid. The bottle indicates the date from which, once the product has been opened, it loses its usefulness. It is also advisable not to use those sunscreens that have been exposed to inappropriate environmental conditions.
Beware those under 20
Special care must be taken with the sunburn under the age of 20 why increase the risk of cancer throughout the person’s life by up to 80%.
Choose solar according to our phototype
Las siglas SPF, Solar Protection Factor, tell us how much longer, that is, how many times longer I can be exposed to the sun without burning. Before exposure to the sun, it is not only essential to use sunscreen, but it must be the most suitable for our skin phototypeclassified according to the skin, hair and eye color. We can follow this guide:
Phototype I: milky-white skin prone to intense burns. It does not support more than 10 minutes of exposure to the sun without protection. An SPF of 50 or higher is recommended.
Phototype II: light skin that burns easily. An SPF of 50 or higher is recommended.
Phototype III: skin of Caucasian (European) races that burns moderately. An SPF between 30 and 50 is recommended.
Phototype IV: slightly dark skin (Mediterranean breeds). It burns moderately or minimally. An SPF of between 15 and 20 is recommended.
Phototype V: typical skin of Amerindian and Hispanic people. It rarely burns. An SPF of 10 is recommended.
Phototype VI: skin of black people. It does not burn and requires minimal protection.
Each person should apply up to two milligrams of sunscreen per square centimeter of skin. If we measure it in coffee teaspoons, a child of one meter should apply 4 teaspoons of coffee, while an adult of one meter seventy should apply 6-8 teaspoons. There are also easy-to-remember techniques that help us meet this requirement, such as imagining the surface of a drawn egg in the palm of the hand. We will need half an egg to properly cover the face and neck and each of the arms. It will take an egg and a half to cover the back and shoulders, belly and lower back and each of the legs. To cover the entire body, the surface of almost eight eggs will be necessary.
The ‘forgotten’ areas of the body
There are certain parts of the body that are usually very exposed and that we often forget: tip of the auricle, bald area of the scalp and back of the hands and feet. It is recommended to ask for help for hard-to-reach areas, such as the back. Nor should we forget about the upper part of the forehead, the neck or the eyelids. Very important: we must not forget if we have recent scars, as they should not be exposed to the sun.
How often do you apply the cream?
There is no exact rule for how often do we have to repeat the solar applicationbut it is recommended that on fair skin and in the summer season it be reapplied every two hours, while at other times of the year, if we spend more time indoors, one application in the morning and another at noon would be more than enough. also have to repeat after each bath.
UV radiation A and B
There are two types of ultraviolet radiation. The ultraviolet A radiation It is the most frequent, but not the most harmful, it is the one with the greatest penetration and the one that goes through the windows, but it only causes aging and tanning, not burns. The ultraviolet B radiation It is the one that can cause burns, reddening of the skin and, over the years, the one that will increase the risk of skin cancer.
Under 1 year, better not
Los children under one year they should not be exposed to practically anything to the sun, avoiding direct sun exposure and reapplying the sunscreen every one or two hours.
To the children with sensitive skin sunscreen formulated with hypoallergenic active ingredients should be applied to them.
