Posts Tagged ‘UV protection’

Survey Says! Most People Are Not Using Sunscreens Correctly

We’ve previously touched on How To Properly Use Sunscreens. But we wanted to see how many people actually follow through with the directions on the bottles.

So we did a survey* and here are the results:

• 23% think that a “good tan” is more important than UV protection
• 75% are concerned about sun damage and use an SPF product daily
• However 80% of the concerned group does not re-apply their SPF

What does this mean? Only 15% of people are protecting themselves properly from the sun.

Sunscreens break down and absorb over two hours, and sweat/wipe off during the day. So while it’s wonderful that 3/4 of people are remembering to use a daily SPF, it’s slightly concerning that that they aren’t as protected as they think they are.

This doesn’t mean just re-applying when you’re outside. What about those of you that sit next to windows? How about when you go for that walk at lunch or after work?

Sweating excessively also washes the sunscreen away, as does rubbing. So if you’re an obsessive face toucher, you may want to take that into consideration.

It’s important to keep all this in consideration. As UV indexes rise we need to make sure we’re not just quickly slapping on a thin, uneven application of sunscreen once a day. You need to be using a broad spectrum sunscreen of at least SPF 15. Ideally it would be applied 30 minutes before sun exposure and then reapplied once you’re outdoors.

Make sure to read the manufactuers instructions carefully, and then follow them.

Sun damage very rarely shows up immediately. But give yourself 10 years and I assure you, you will be able to tell. Doing facials at spas the biggest thing you see is women in their 40′s and 50′s wishing they could take back 30 years of tanning and sun damage. Save yourself the grief, wrinkles and leathery skin.

*Based on Spa Boutique’s Customer base. Primarily Canadian women aged 30-50

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