Blog Post

The Truth About SPF

Victoria Hayes • May 26, 2019

May is skin cancer awareness month and as skin cancer is on the increase (by 128% since the 1990’s*) it’s important we all protect ourselves and little ones.


My customers, friends and family are all aware about my views on SPF’s and the importance of DAILY protection. Yes you heard it right, daily!


  • UVA (long wave) causes premature aging, penetrates glass and can travel to the deep layers of skin, resulting in pigmentation and damaging cellular DNA. It is present all year round.
  • UVB (short wave) causes burning and is only present on hotter days.

Most sun damage won’t start to appear till your over 40 but most of the damage was done in your teens and 20’s when we were striving for the perfect tan, sadly there is no perfect, or safe tan! Any change in skin colour is sun damage.


There are 2 types of sunscreens, physical and chemical. Physical reflects UV rays and chemical absorbs them. If you’re prone to prickly heat I advise you to try a physical sunscreen because you don’t absorb heat the same and you need a sunscreen which will repel the UV rays. They tend to be more ashy in colour so need more rubbing in than their chemical siblings but most sensitive skins will thank you for it. Look for Zinc Oxide or Titanium Dioxide in the ingredients list if you’re unsure and try brands such as La Roche Posay from Boots, Clinique or Medik8’s Physical sunscreen. There is one downside to a physical sunscreen, Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide have been proven to be toxic to fish, so it’s a good idea to shower before you jump into the sea.


SPF 15 will protect you from 93% of UV radiation and SPF 30 will protect you from 96% UV radiation and SPF 50 will protect 97-98% so there’s really not much in it. I would suggest if your sensitive and prone to prickly heat or irritation of any kind to stick to an spf of 30, the higher the SPF the higher the chemical content.


My best advice for looking after your skin is to use an SPF everyday. Protecting your skin will slow down the signs of ageing and reduce the risks of skin cancer. However, please dont think because there’s SPF in your makeup you’re suitably protected, because you most likely won't be; it will definitely help but it wont give you the full protection like a standalone SPF can, plus you need a around a teaspoon of SPF to get the coverage required which won’t be a great foundation look! Once you’ve applied makeup, you can always use an spf spray to give you extra protection throughout the day. Look for a sunscreen that’s a Broad Spectrum SPF, it’ll cover you for both UVA & UVB because most SPF rating is just for UVB. If you have an oilier skin, opt for an oil-free formula and remember SPFs degrade after a year so should be thrown away due to loss of potency.


I worry about these once a day sunscreen applications protecting you completely. Looking at P20 one application 10hr protection sunscreens, they suggest on their website to ‘re apply after sweating’, and to ‘re apply frequently to maintain protection’! That sounds like the a standard sunscreen to me!


I hope your all having a restful weekend, and don’t forget to apply SPF to those ears!


Please message me for any further information or head to my website www.alsagerbeauty.com for more blog posts x


*source: skin cancer research


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