If you don't know by now that you should be wearing sunscreen in all weather, this is your wake up call, as a study found that 66% of Irish people still aren't wearing SPF during the summer months.
Sure, we don't have the sunniest weather in Ireland – and even our sunny days are usually short lived. But it's long been recommended that sunscreen should be worn in even overcast weather, which most of us aren't doing.
Research carried out by Lloyds Pharmacy found that not only are Irish people not doing that, very few are wearing SPF every day. Just over a third (34%) of adults wear sunscreen during the summer months – but only when it's sunny, they said – with 16% saying they wear sunscreen every day.
Despite our fair skin that's liable to burn, Irish people still accept sunburn as just a part of enjoying the good weather. Some people assume that you haven't gotten a tan or soaked up enough of that precious vitamin D if you haven't gotten a sunburn, which goes against expert advice.
Read more: Everything you need to know about sunburn
There are more than 12,000 cases of Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) diagnosed each year, with sun exposure the main risk factor. Still, over a quarter of those polled (27%) said they had gotten sunburn in the last year. Men (33%) are more likely than women (22%) to say they've gotten sunburnt in that time.
With more of us putting time into our skincare routines since the pandemic hit, there's even more reason to wear SPF daily. Active ingredients like retinol, glycolic acid and even vitamin C can leave your skin more vulnerable to UVF and UVB rays, so SPF should be worn during the day if you're using products with those ingredients.
Speaking about the findings, Denis O'Driscoll Superintendent Pharmacist said: ''Irish people tend to think of SPF as something we pack when heading to the airport, but we really need to be wearing it all year round, regardless of the weather."
Here, O'Driscoll shares his tips for keeping sun-safe this year:
- Use more than you think! It is advised that you should use approximately a shot glass of product to cover your body, so don't use it too sparingly.
- Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before leaving the house to make sure the product has had enough time to soak in.
- I’m only popping out; do I really need it? In short, yes. It’s still exposure, and depending on the time of day, you can get a sunburn quite quickly. Also, 20 minutes can easily turn into 40.
- Reapply every two hours – yes, that is right, every two hours at least. If you go swimming you should reapply every time you get out of the water. Reapply more frequently if you are sweating a lot as well. LloydsPharmacy’s research found that only a third (33%) of people re-apply once a day.
- Remember to protect your eyes too, make sure that the sunnies you are wearing have UV protection and aren’t just stylish!
