How does sunscreen work and what do SPF and stars mean?

Temperatures should be much higher than average in many regions of the United Kingdom, and UV levels should be raised.

How to protect your skin from the sun’s rays and what should you do if you burn yourself?

The largest number on solar cream bottles is the solar protective factor or the SPF.

The higher the number, the more the protection it offers.

SPF tells you the amount of protection that your sunscreen provides UVB radiation. The number refers to the amount of UVB it allows, not how it blocks.

For example, a sunscreen with SPF 15 allows about fifty of the sun’s rays to reach your skin, about 7%.

It therefore filters approximately 93% of UVB rays while SPF 30 filters approximately 97%.

This means that if you could stay in the sun for 10 minutes unprotected without burning, SPF 15 would give you this protection in 15 times, or two and a half hours before burning.

The British Association of Dermatologists claims that sunscreen with SPF 30 is a “satisfactory form of sun protection in addition to shade and protective clothing”.

He says that sunscreen should be reapposed at least every two hours, regardless of his SPF.

Many brands also have a star note from one to five.

This indicates the percentage of UVA radiation which is absorbed by the sunscreen compared to the amount of UVB absorbed. The more stars, the better.

UVA and UVB refer to different wavelengths of sun radiation that enter the earth’s atmosphere.

Uva is associated with the aging of the skin and pigmentation as well as skin cancer. This can affect human skin even through glass.

UVB causes sunburn and is linked to particular types of skin cancer – basal carcinoma (the most common type) and clever melanoma.

A low SPF sunscreen could have a high star rating if the UVA / UVB protection ratio is the same as in a higher SPF product.

Ideally, you want sunscreen with a high SPF and a high star rating.

These levels of protection assume that sunscreen has been applied in ideal conditions.

In reality, most people do not perfectly apply a sunscreen, and it can detect with sweat or in water.

Experts believe that most people only apply half of the recommended quantity.

You should not use a sunscreen that exceeds its expiration date because it can be less effective.

EU guidelines indicate that sunscreen should only be marketed as having “50+” sun protection and not the 80 or 100 notes which can be found in certain countries.

He thinks that these could be misleading on the quantity of additional protection they provide: SPF 50 offers protection of approximately 98%, while SPF 100 would provide less than 100%.

No product provides 100% protection against the sun’s rays, so the advice is that everyone should cover themselves and seek shade when the sun is strongest.

There are a lot of “prolonged wear” solar screens on the market which promises to be used “once a day”. Many claim to offer protection up to eight hours – if applied correctly.

But some dermatologists recommend that these products are always applied at least every two hours, like any other sunscreen, because the risk that you have missed a place – or that it will rub or wash at that time – are too high.

Who? The report in 2016 criticized four of these products for not providing the promised protection. He found that after six to eight hours, the average protection offered decreased by 74%.

But this assertion was rejected by certain manufacturers, who said that their own tests had produced different results.

The sunburns cause hot and painful skin that can peel after a few days. In extreme cases, the skin can wick.

This usually improves in about a week, but there are things you can do to relieve the symptoms.

The NHS recommends getting out of the sun as soon as possible and keeping the skin burned covered to protect it from the sun until it is completely healed.

A fresh shower or a damp towel can help, as is hydrated aftersun, pain relievers and drink a lot of water. Ask your pharmacist for advice.

You should not put oil jelly or ice on the skin burned by the sun. You should resist scratching the burned areas and avoiding tight clothes.

Contact your GP or NHS 111 if your skin is puffed or swollen or if you have other symptoms of thermal exhaustion or heat stroke.

It can regularly increase the risk of skin cancer.