A new study done by researchers from King College in London talks about the exact extent of protection that sunscreen can provide typically. Usually people cannot get full ultraviolet radiation from sunscreens because they tend to apply less sunscreen than they should be.
The research was published recently in the journal Acta Dermato-Venereology. The research team at King’s team designed a unique experiment which focused on the examining how DNA can be damaged by thin application of suncreen- i.e., under 2mg/cm2- the standard amount that is promoted by most manufactures to make good of the SPF rating.
Findings indicated that SPF 50 sunblocks, when applied in a typical way, only provided the 40% protection from ultraviolet radiation. Researchers suggest that people should be applying thick layers of sunscreen to make sure that they are getting the best from their sunscreens.
For the study, scientists worked with 16 fair-skinned individuals into groups of two, each consisting eight people. One of the groups were asked to apply high SPF sunscreen of different thickness, from 0.75mg/cm2 to 2mg/cm2 and were exposed to a single UVR, while the other group was exposed to UV radiation for five consecutive days, just like they would by holiday exposure. The UV radiations were of different wavelengths to mimic the range of radiation at popular holiday destinations like Florida and Brazil.
Results indicated that when thick layers of sunscreens were applied on areas of the skin that were exposed to the radiation, the sunscreen provided high amount of protection, even when the radiation exposure was quite high.
Antony Young, professor at King’s College and report-author said, “There is no dispute that sunscreen provides important protection against the cancer causing impact of the sun’s ultra violet rays. However, what this research shows is that the way sunscreen is applied plays an important role in determining how effective it is. Given that most people don’t use sunscreens as tested as tested by manufacturers, it’s better for people to use a much higher SPF than they think is necessary.”
According to Nina Goad from the British Association of Dermatologists the study supports what dermatologists have been saying for years- use a sunscreen with SPF 30 or more. While we might think that a SPF 15 sunscreen could work, but for proper protection from ultraviolet radiation, people should be switching to higher SPF sunscreen.
“It also shows why we shouldn’t rely on sunscreen alone for sun protection, but we should also use clothing and shade. An extra consideration is that when we apply sunscreen, we are prone to missing patches of skin, as well as applying it too thinly”, she added.