With summer just around the corner, it’s important to know how to really protect your family from the harsh Australian sun.
While new research shows that 80 percent of Aussie mums are super careful about protecting their kids’ skin (let’s grow this to 100 percent, people), there are some common things that many of us are still getting wrong.
Kidspot talked to NIVEA Skincare Scientist, Ken Lee, who has shared the expert advice every parent needs to know - and we were surprised by the number of sunscreen mistakes we’re all making.
Apply well, apply often
The first thing we need to get right is sunscreen quantity.
“When applying sunscreen, most people don’t apply enough, or they don’t reapply often enough,” Ken shares. “It is important to allow at least fifteen minutes for the lotion to absorb into the skin. I recommend reapplying at least every two hours or after swimming and towelling.”
Check the date
Another thing people often don’t realise is that sunscreen has an expiry date and that it deteriorates when left in the sun (ie. in the car or on your beach towel) - so it’s probably best to chuck that bottle that’s been collecting dust in the back of your bathroom cupboard for five years and go out and buy some more.
Ken says, “As sunscreens age, or repeatedly heat and cool, the quality of the lotion can deteriorate. When this happens, the sunscreen won’t cover the skin evenly and in the way that’s necessary for proper skin protection.”
SPF is about TIME, not strength
Did you know that Sun Protection Factor is actually about how long the sunscreen will protect you from sunburn, NOT the strength of the sunscreen? Me neither.
“SPF measures the level of UV protection a sunscreen will give you. In Australia that ranges from 15 – 50+,” says Ken.
“To help you understand a bit better, if you were to start getting sunburned after 3 minutes in the sun without any sunscreen on, applying a sunscreen with a sun protection factor of 30 would protect you for 3 minutes x 30 (or 90 minutes) before you begin to burn.”
Ken also says there are also a number of other things to take into consideration: how much sunscreen you apply, the weather, amount of sweating, swimming, drying yourself and skin type.
Ken’s advice? “If you know you’re going to be out in the sun for an extended amount of time, then I would always recommend using a sunscreen with a 50+ SPF rating!”
So. How much sunscreen do we need to wear?
Taking all of this information into consideration, it’s important to know how much we should be applying.
An average-sized adult should apply at least a teaspoon of sunscreen (which is about 5 ml) to each body part.
For Ken, seven teaspoons is what you should aim for. “If you count two legs, two arms, front of body, back of body, and our face and neck, that’s 7 body parts! This equates to approximately 35 ml of sunscreen for one full body application.”
Yep - if you go off this logic, a bottle of sunscreen does not last very long. How long did the last bottle last you?
No matter what SPF protection you’re using, Ken advises to reapply your sunscreen at least every two hours - especially when there’s swimming involved.
And one last interesting fact:
New research commission by NIVEA has also found that 74 percent of mums tend to prioritise their kids’ sun safety over their own - no matter their children’s age.
So maybe we need to be a bit more pedantic about our own sun protection routine, not just our kids. Your ageing skin will thank you!
