Have you had to cancel a summer holiday this year?
I have, and it’s not fun. I’ve pretty much stopped looking at my calendar at all because the days and days stretching ahead with nothing to look forward to are a bit much sometimes.
Perhaps you’re looking on the bright side – at least you won’t have to have to spend hours in the car with kids who apparently have bladders the size of actual peas, and you can save some money at least, including on all those extras like endless ice creams, all the overpriced cocktails you have to buy to make a holiday with kids bearable, and litres of sunscreen.
HOLD UP THOUGH. Not so fast.
Just because you’re not going on a summer holiday doesn’t mean you’re off the hook with the sun protection. I know it can feel like we don’t need it most of the time in the UK but that’s just not the case. More people in the UK are now killed by skin cancer than in Australia, and a scary 60% of us damaged our skin in the sun just last year. (Statistic from 2019 SunSense survey.)
That’s not cool is it? Especially when according the Cancer Research UK, 86% of melanoma skin cancers cases in the UK are preventable. Just by regularly using a high SPF 50+ sunscreen you can reduce your chances of developing the disease.
To help us all stay safe in the sun, we’ve been trying out the range of sunscreens from SunSense, an iconic Australian sunscreen brand that’s been a favourite with Australians for over 30 years.
Those chubby little fingers!
SunSense suncreens have been developed to meet the Australian Standard, which is considered to be the most stringent in the world. (It’s hot there don’t you know.) SunSense provides the highest SPF allowable in Australia and offers UVA and UVB protection. All of their products are fragrance free, dermatologically tested and suitable for sensitive skin and babies from six months old.
As you can see, Joey has had a jolly good read of the details of the SunSense Kids product, and has given it the thumbs up. (In spirit at least as he can’t actually do a thumbs up yet.)
As soon as we get outside he’s keen to get his sun protection on as soon as possible. Or he wants to eat the bottle, it’s hard to tell. I’m going to assume the former because he’s really very smart and can open the back door on his colour mixing truck now and everything. (Obviously sunscreen isn’t a toy and you should always be applying it to your baby yourself – Joey is just obliging here for the photo by having a quick look.)
Joey isn’t the only one who needs to think about sun protection though.
I think it’s a bit of a misconception in the UK that high SPF sun protection is only for babies, and while it’s true that babies and young children do need to protect their delicate skin, everyone really should try to use broad spectrum SPF 50+ products every day. That means all of us, no matter how old we are or how at risk we might feel.
The UV index only needs to be 3 or more for the sun to cause sunburn and given that the London average UV index from April to September is 4 it’s no wonder so many of us end up damaging our skin in the sun. That means all of us, babies, kids and adults alike, need to be using sunscreen every day.
Yes Joey, that means we have to share.
Fortunately SunSense do a few different products besides SunSense Kids, including SunSense Ultra and SunSense Daily Face, so Joey won’t actually have to give up his personal bottle.
Fear not Joey, there’s more than enough for the whole family, including Mama. Bee has particularly sensitive skin and is always cautious about the products she uses, especially what she puts on her face. The fact that SunSense has been specially developed to be safe for use on even sensitive skin means it really is ideal for our whole family.
Although I know that I’m often as guilty as the 70% of Brits who only think about full sun protection on holiday or especially sunny days, I have always taken care of my face at least.
I’ve worn the same moisturiser since I was in my late teens, (not the actual same one, I’m not that frugal), and it has a built in SPF. When people tell me I look young for my age I often think a lot of that could be down to having always protected my face from the sun, as sun damage has a big impact on premature ageing – another good reason to use a sunscreen every day.
My moisturiser is only SPF 15 though, and although it has certainly helped I could do better. SunSense Daily Face will definitely be getting added to my daily routine.
And now Joey has shared his important thoughts on sun protection he can go back to his very important work of shouting at sticks in the park. Thanks so much for reading!
The SunSense range is available to buy online via sunsense.co.uk and SunSense Ultra is also available on prescription. Ask you GP for more details.
The post Why sunscreen isn’t just for sunny days appeared first on Slummy single mummy.
Why sunscreen isn’t just for sunny days was first posted on June 6, 2020 at 9:26 pm.