Is slapping on the factor 50 enough to protect us from skin cancer? Are we safe indoors or on a cloudy day? Here’s what the experts say
‘I can’t help myself, I’m in love with the summertime,” Divine Comedy frontman Neil Hannon once crooned – and though it’s a sentiment shared by every red-blooded bank holidayer, it’s probably fair to say that sunny afternoons come with a tinge of concern these days. We’re all aware that we probably should be re-applying the factor 50 more often than we do, especially after swimming, but does the state of the ozone layer make things worse? Is the sun somehow … hotter now?
“The most fundamental thing to understand is that sun exposure without use of high-factor sunscreen or protective clothing is a health hazard,” says Dr Derrick Phillips, consultant dermatologist and spokesperson for the British Skin Foundation. “Cumulative sun exposure over a lifetime damages skin proteins and cellular DNA, causing mutations and increasing the risk of developing skin cancers. Also, the skin becomes less effective at repairing damaged DNA over time. There is currently no way of reversing cumulative DNA damage, and so past sun exposure determines your present risk of skin cancer.”
