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Sunscreen with a factor below 30 does not protect against burns and skin cancer
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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Millions of people are at risk of getting sunburn or even earning skin cancer due to improper application of protective cream. The National Health Service of Great Britain (NHS) recommended that citizens use creams with sunscreen factor 15 (SPF15). However, the experts' conclusions indicate that this is not enough.
For reasons of comfort, people can not apply the amount of cream needed for protection, and often use much less than necessary. In this regard, it is better to use creams with a higher protective factor, according to an article published in the journal Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB).
"The recommendations of the NHS are erroneous and do not correspond to the public health interests," says DBC editor Dr. Hayk Aihinacho. He notes that a cream with a protective factor of 15 provides sufficient protection of the skin from the sun, only if applied by a layer 2 cm thick. But in reality people usually apply much less cream - at best, not more than half of the recommended volume.
The ideal dosage assumes that in this amount the cream will simply drain off the surface of the skin, delivering a lot of inconvenience to a person. Then, it's very uneconomic. So, in order to smear all the body, a person needs about 35 milliliters of cosmetic. And the NHS recommends applying the cream at least every two hours. Therefore, an amateur to bask in the sun will have to buy 200 milliliters of cream every 2-3 days, states Aichinacho. It is probably more practical to use a cream with a higher coefficient than 15 (for example 30 or higher), the expert draws conclusions.
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