The sun will shine a lot in the coming days and that means that we have to apply sunscreen en masse. If you don’t, you could develop skin cancer and, in the worst case scenario, die. Sharon Dodemont is a dermatologist at the Catharina Hospital. She talks about misunderstandings about sunscreen and gives tips.
Getting a nice tan is the goal of many people when they sit in the sun. The sunscreen should prevent you from getting burned, because that is bad for you. However, there is already a little bit wrong. Tanning is also a sign of sun damage, says dermatologist Sharon Dodemont.
“We see more and more people in their twenties with skin cancer spots.”
“You get tan because your body produces extra pigment. Your body does this to protect itself, because it senses damage. Only when this damage is very extensive will your skin turn red. If you are tan, there is already damage and that is also bad for you.”
Dermatologists increasingly see that people underestimate the danger of the sun. “Nowadays, people spend so much time in the sun that we increasingly see people in their twenties with skin cancer spots. In the past it was people in their seventies or eighties.
There is also a big misunderstanding about the protection of sunburn. Some people think that the factor of sunscreen stands for the temperature. So you would lubricate a factor of thirty at thirty degrees. But that’s not right.
“When you sweat, the sunscreen wears off your skin.”
“The factor actually says how much longer you can put in the sun.” Suppose you can sit in the sun for 10 minutes until you burn yourself. If you then apply factor 30, you can sit in the sun for 300 minutes.
However, this calculation is not always correct. “People often apply too thin. If you sweat, the sunscreen also disappears from your skin. In fact, you just have to apply every two hours and every hour if you sweat a lot.”
“In the shade you also burn.”
As soon as you go swimming or exercise, you should also apply more often. “All sunscreen then disappears from your skin. Once you are dry, you have to reapply all over.”
Many people think that you don’t have to put on sunscreen in the shade. “You burn less quickly in the shade, but it still happens. So you just have to apply it. You also have to endure a lot of sun during walking, cycling and gardening. That is often underestimated.”
“Put sunscreen as thick as peanut butter on a sandwich.”
But when and how often should you apply it exactly? The Dutch Association for Dermatology recommends factor 15 for daily use and factor 30 or higher if you expose your skin to the sun. “It’s important to spread thick enough, as thick as peanut butter on a sandwich.”
On weather sites you can often see how strong the sun is and also until what time you should apply. From sun power 3 it is recommended to apply sunscreen.
For people who wear make-up, Dodemont has a handy tip. “People sometimes complain that they have just made up and then have to apply sunscreen. I tell them: use a protective day cream in the morning, because then you already have a base.”
This base alone is not enough for the whole day. “Nowadays you also have sprays that you can apply over your make-up. They are less effective, but that is better than no lubrication.”