When the summer season is on its way, people tend to start spending more time outside, especially during June, July, and August, which are known as summer days, according to the meteorological calendar. It is very important to use sunscreen by every age group during that time.
According to a new research, it is seen that many people tend to apply the sunscreen wrongly. The research, published in PLOS ONE journal, suggests people who skip certain areas of their face while applying the lotion are more vulnerable to skin cancer.
Scientists from the University of Liverpool studied the ways that people use moisturizing lotions with SPF (sun protection factor) and those who regularly used sunscreen. Most of the moisturizers are found to contain the same SPF as that of traditional sunscreens; however, there has been a lack of research until now on how they compare in terms of protection and coverage. SPF is a term used for measuring sunscreen’s ability to block sunburn-causing or ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
The study was conducted on 84 participants who were exposed to UV rays, and then photographed using a UV-sensitive camera on two visits.
During both the first as well as the second visit, photos were taken before they applied either SPF 30 sunscreen or moisturizer and after they applied, but during the second visit, the study was repeated with the different SPF.
The researchers found that people are not covering all areas of their face when they applied the moisturizer containing the SPF compared to the application of sunscreen. Specifically, people often leave the eyelid region without applying any of the sunscreens.
The study authors stated, “When applying both sunscreen and moisturizer, the area around to eyes is often missed, particularly near the nose. Participants covered a smaller area of the face when using moisturizer compared to sunscreen.”
American Cancer Society suggests more than 3 million people in the United Sates are diagnosed by skin cancer every year, making it a more common form of cancer. So, it is important to apply sunscreen carefully to all exposed areas of the skin. They wrote, “Moisturizer is not as well applied as sunscreen; therefore if planning prolonged sun exposure we advise sunscreen be used. If using moisturizer we advise one with SPF: any SPF is better than none but it should not be considered the equal of sunscreen.”
