Keep skin safe in the sun

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in Northern Ireland, accounting for over 30% of all cancers. About 3,780 people develop the disease each year and around 330 of these are malignant melanomas.

But do you know that you can help to protect your family from skin cancer by using sunscreen!

How does sunscreen work?

Most of us are by now familiar with sun protection factor (SPF), the big number on the front of your sunscreen bottle, and look for a high one to give us more protection from the sun.

Many brands carry a five star rating too, and that might be just as important to understand.

SPF tells you how much protection your sunscreen provides from UVB radiation while the star system tells you the percentage of UVA radiation that is absorbed by the sunscreen in comparison to how much UVB is absorbed.

What are UVA and UVB?

Ultraviolet A and B refer to different wavelengths of radiation from the sun that enter the earth's atmosphere. A third wavelength of radiation transmitted by the sun, UVC, doesn't penetrate our atmosphere, so we don't need to worry about that one.

UVA is associated with ageing of the skin and pigmentation as well as skin cancer (particularly squamous cell carcinoma - the second most common type). It can affect human skin even through glass.

UVB causes sunburn and is linked to particular types of skin cancer - basal cell carcinoma (the most common type of skin cancer) and malignant melanoma.

Sunscreen doesn't stop all types of skin damage so it's also important to cover up and seek shade when the sun is strongest.

The British Association of Dermatologists says sunscreen with SPF 30 is a "satisfactory form of sun protection in addition to protective shade and clothing" and that it should be reapplied at least every two hours, no matter what SPF it is.

There are lots of "extended wear" sunscreens on the market that advertise themselves as being for use "once a day", or claiming to last for eight hours.

But dermatologists recommend that these products should still be applied at least every two hours, like any other sunscreen, since the risk that you may have missed a spot - or that it will rub or wash off in that time - are too high.

So the moral of the story is - use sunscreen to protect you and your family from the No1 cancer in N. Ireland.