Sunscreen protects your skin, but just how much do you need?Shutterstock
When the sun is out, many of us reach for sunscreen, but myths and misinformation have left some people confused about when and how to use it, and how to ensure we still get enough vitamin D. Rachel Neale, a skin cancer expert at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Australia, has led clinical trials looking at the link between sun exposure and skin cancer, and sunscreen use and vitamin D. She also recently led the development of a new position statement that considers how to balance the risks and benefits of sun exposure. Here, she lists five things that everyone should know about sunscreen.
Sunscreen should be used as a last line of defence
Many people think it’s OK to lie on the beach all day in a tiny bikini as long as they rub sunscreen all over their exposed skin and reapply it every 2 hours. They think sunscreen makes them bulletproof. But even if you apply the best sunscreen perfectly, it still lets some ultraviolet (UV) radiation through. If you’re out in the sun for hours, that gradually adds up to a dose that is big enough to cause skin damage. At that point, it doesn’t matter if you apply more sunscreen; the damage is already done.
