Good article. I find it baffling from a scientific perspective that I’d need to wear sunscreen in the winter in the north to go to my office job. The UV 3 AND I’m planning on spending time outdoors test is a good one.
I'm a gardener and spend alot of time outdoors. With this fine recent weather, at least 6 hours a day. I was a working gardener in Jersey for 20 years - the sunniest place in GB and with a very high skin cancer rate. There are free GP clinics in summer to give you a check-over for skin health.
For those 20 years I wore a baseball cap and rarely wore any sunscreen. My ears have borne the brunt! I now wear brimmed hats and long-sleeved shirts more often, even though we're now in less sunny Herefordshire. All ok according to a local skin specialist, only cosmetic skin damage so far.
Really, as a working gardener, it is impractical to use sunscreen. On a warm day there's much sweating and brow mopping, so all protection would be gone pretty quick. You'd have to reapply every hour or more. This would cost alot I expect. Also the unpleasantness of dust sticking to your neck, face and arms is extreme!
Yes, I think his point that it’s not a bad way to protect yourself, but it’s perhaps one of several ways, and not always the best way. Because I am a journalist writing about beauty, I get to hear (and write) a lot about sunscreen, when in fact I clearly need to be writing more about wide-brimmed hats and enormous sunglasses! I’m so glad your ears are ok and that you haven’t any serious damage from the sun. Thank you for sharing.
Yes, and if they're saying that while looking at your skin, I'm sure they're right. But I think so interesting to see this perspective from another very knowledgeable individual (Diffey). I think many of us, most of us, who knows, need it, but I do also think there's a lot of massing everyone together as if we all have the same needs, and that can also be to the detriment of those in urgent need of vitamin D, or with skin sensitivities (although you can get round these if you wear a mineral block presumably). I'm so glad you enjoyed reading this, and thank you so much for commenting.
I’m not sure they are right…they might be, but likely are just parroting the conventional wisdom. I’d push back and find out if there are specific reasons or not.
Thanks-my only comment is that this advice is location specific. The Nambour Skin Cancer Prevention Trial (1994) showed clearly the benefits of daily sunscreen in a high risk population (70% of Australians will have skin cancer by the age of 70). The advice also has to consider the degree of immunosuppression in each individual. Those who are post organ transplant have a significantly higher risk of skin cancer.
Thank you Ken. I checked this with Brian who agrees with you - his comments were directed specifically at those of us living in the UK. The Nambour study was conducted in Queensland where the sun's UV levels are sufficiently high that sun protection is advisable all year round. He also agrees that your comments about the elevated risk of skin cancer in post-transplant patients are perfectly correct and emphasise the need for them to be vigilant about sun protection all year round.
I will add this to Brian's answers in the main text so that it is super-clear, in case readers don't click on the link to the full Australian science paper, where it says the same thing, but buried somewhere...
My daughter and I have the skin complexion comparable to a tissue or whole milk. We are extremely fair, red hair, freckles, all of it. When summer rolls around I start to get really anxious about her skin. But in the winter we spend a lot of time outside as well. We live in the north (Canada) and I have been told that we still need to wear sunscreen because the light from the sun reflects off of the snow, could you shed any light on that widespread belief?
Thank you for reading this and responding. I am not a doctor so if you have been given medical advice to wear sunscreen I would say 100% follow it! If you haven’t had advice from a doctor, may I suggest that you ask them? The climate and light in Canada is so different to that in the Uk where I am based and where the sky can be murky and grey more often than not. Always err on the side of caution.
I totally agree. People telling you to apply sunscreen in the dead of winter when the sun hasn’t been out in months are beyond help. That said, I wish you would have pushed back a bit on the 2 mg/cm2 standard as some recent research is showing that with newer formulations likely even as low as 0.75 mg/cm2 is sufficient protection.
Hi Kathleen, thank you so much for sharing your article. We simply don’t get enough info about sun care from a British perspective. I say this as an Aussie living in the UK who has the slip, slop, slap advice ingrained into me! I may have to rethink my daily sunscreen routine as I do just carry it into winter as it’s my standard moisturiser. Food for thought!
I wear sunscreen on my face every day (in part to combat sun-related signs of aging) but rarely on my body unless the sun is strong and I’m going to be outside for a significant time. I thought this was a good balance but now I’m questioning whether I need it on my face every day…
As the former EIC of a women’s magazine, I published lots of the usual advice from dermatologists. This is the first piece I’ve read that relies on the advice of a skin scientist. Thank you.
thank you for saying this, which as a beauty editor reporting into EIC’s from time to time, I really appreciate! One thing in beauty that has always surprised me is how expert opinions vary depending on whether it’s a formulator, a facialist, a dermatologist, a chemist, a professor… the only conclusion I’ve come to in my own daily routine is to take this information into account and then trust my own (very unscientific) instincts!
Good article. I find it baffling from a scientific perspective that I’d need to wear sunscreen in the winter in the north to go to my office job. The UV 3 AND I’m planning on spending time outdoors test is a good one.
I’ve never understood it - except of course in those circumstances described at the beginning of the piece. Thanks so much for commenting
Thanks, found this interesting.
I'm a gardener and spend alot of time outdoors. With this fine recent weather, at least 6 hours a day. I was a working gardener in Jersey for 20 years - the sunniest place in GB and with a very high skin cancer rate. There are free GP clinics in summer to give you a check-over for skin health.
For those 20 years I wore a baseball cap and rarely wore any sunscreen. My ears have borne the brunt! I now wear brimmed hats and long-sleeved shirts more often, even though we're now in less sunny Herefordshire. All ok according to a local skin specialist, only cosmetic skin damage so far.
Really, as a working gardener, it is impractical to use sunscreen. On a warm day there's much sweating and brow mopping, so all protection would be gone pretty quick. You'd have to reapply every hour or more. This would cost alot I expect. Also the unpleasantness of dust sticking to your neck, face and arms is extreme!
Yes, I think his point that it’s not a bad way to protect yourself, but it’s perhaps one of several ways, and not always the best way. Because I am a journalist writing about beauty, I get to hear (and write) a lot about sunscreen, when in fact I clearly need to be writing more about wide-brimmed hats and enormous sunglasses! I’m so glad your ears are ok and that you haven’t any serious damage from the sun. Thank you for sharing.
Its UV levels which are important - if you live in an environment wurh high levels you need ro protect yourself.
Yes I agree. Thank you so much for your comment
This has been my approach for years. Am I going to burn? Yes, wear sunscreen. No, don’t (but maybe carry some in case).
This is such a balanced approach to the sunscreen argument. Love it
Thank you Sage, I’m glad you enjoyed it
Really interesting, thank you.
Thank you Hannah
So interesting. My dermatologist says yes to sunscreen each and every day.
Yes, and if they're saying that while looking at your skin, I'm sure they're right. But I think so interesting to see this perspective from another very knowledgeable individual (Diffey). I think many of us, most of us, who knows, need it, but I do also think there's a lot of massing everyone together as if we all have the same needs, and that can also be to the detriment of those in urgent need of vitamin D, or with skin sensitivities (although you can get round these if you wear a mineral block presumably). I'm so glad you enjoyed reading this, and thank you so much for commenting.
I’m not sure they are right…they might be, but likely are just parroting the conventional wisdom. I’d push back and find out if there are specific reasons or not.
Thanks-my only comment is that this advice is location specific. The Nambour Skin Cancer Prevention Trial (1994) showed clearly the benefits of daily sunscreen in a high risk population (70% of Australians will have skin cancer by the age of 70). The advice also has to consider the degree of immunosuppression in each individual. Those who are post organ transplant have a significantly higher risk of skin cancer.
Thank you Ken. I checked this with Brian who agrees with you - his comments were directed specifically at those of us living in the UK. The Nambour study was conducted in Queensland where the sun's UV levels are sufficiently high that sun protection is advisable all year round. He also agrees that your comments about the elevated risk of skin cancer in post-transplant patients are perfectly correct and emphasise the need for them to be vigilant about sun protection all year round.
I will add this to Brian's answers in the main text so that it is super-clear, in case readers don't click on the link to the full Australian science paper, where it says the same thing, but buried somewhere...
I feel like what I know about sunscreen; one of the main advertised benefits is it slows aging. Does this have any scientific backing?
My daughter and I have the skin complexion comparable to a tissue or whole milk. We are extremely fair, red hair, freckles, all of it. When summer rolls around I start to get really anxious about her skin. But in the winter we spend a lot of time outside as well. We live in the north (Canada) and I have been told that we still need to wear sunscreen because the light from the sun reflects off of the snow, could you shed any light on that widespread belief?
Thank you for reading this and responding. I am not a doctor so if you have been given medical advice to wear sunscreen I would say 100% follow it! If you haven’t had advice from a doctor, may I suggest that you ask them? The climate and light in Canada is so different to that in the Uk where I am based and where the sky can be murky and grey more often than not. Always err on the side of caution.
I totally agree. People telling you to apply sunscreen in the dead of winter when the sun hasn’t been out in months are beyond help. That said, I wish you would have pushed back a bit on the 2 mg/cm2 standard as some recent research is showing that with newer formulations likely even as low as 0.75 mg/cm2 is sufficient protection.
Thank you, pushing back now! And if you can tell me where you saw that research that would be really helpful.
Hi Kathleen, thank you so much for sharing your article. We simply don’t get enough info about sun care from a British perspective. I say this as an Aussie living in the UK who has the slip, slop, slap advice ingrained into me! I may have to rethink my daily sunscreen routine as I do just carry it into winter as it’s my standard moisturiser. Food for thought!
Thank you for this!
I wear sunscreen on my face every day (in part to combat sun-related signs of aging) but rarely on my body unless the sun is strong and I’m going to be outside for a significant time. I thought this was a good balance but now I’m questioning whether I need it on my face every day…
As the former EIC of a women’s magazine, I published lots of the usual advice from dermatologists. This is the first piece I’ve read that relies on the advice of a skin scientist. Thank you.
thank you for saying this, which as a beauty editor reporting into EIC’s from time to time, I really appreciate! One thing in beauty that has always surprised me is how expert opinions vary depending on whether it’s a formulator, a facialist, a dermatologist, a chemist, a professor… the only conclusion I’ve come to in my own daily routine is to take this information into account and then trust my own (very unscientific) instincts!
Thanks, great article