The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have just released new guidelines on summer skincare and just how much sunscreen you need to avoid that charming summer lobster look.
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As we all know, our skin needs Vitamin D from sunlight, but too much sun increases the risk of skin cancer and NICE warn that, painful sunburn aside, there’s no “safe” way to get a tan (apart from faking it, of course).
You probably know you should be reapplying your sunscreen regularly if you’re out in the sun for a long time, and especially if you’re in the water (even if a product claims to be water-resistant).
But are you slapping on enough? The new NICE guidelines say the average amount needed to cover an adult is 35ml, or 6-8 teaspoons of lotion.
NICE then go even further to say that we should actually be applying sunscreen TWICE anyway — shortly before you leave the house, and again as you actually go out the door.
“If someone plans to be out in the sun long enough to risk burning, sunscreen needs to be applied twice to exposed areas of skin: half an hour before, and again around the time they go out in the sun.”
“This includes the face, neck and ears (and head if someone has thinning or no hair), but a wide-brimmed hat is better.”
So, if you really want to avoid the dreaded sunburn this summer, double the sunscreen is twice as nice (or, you know, NICE).