Sun Protection

Practicalities Health Sun Protection Products 

There is a growing range of items on the market designed to protect, and particularly protect children, from the sun.

Clothing

Standard clothing offers a degree of protection, that degree depending largely on the closeness of the weave, though darker colours are reported to offer more than lighter ones. While densely woven t-shirts may fall into the maximum protection category, with thinner fabrics the protection offered might be no more than SPF 4. Some parents therefore invest in the rather ugly but safer sun protection clothing. There have been sporadic attempts to provide SPF ratings for clothing. If rated as SPF, a rating of 40 should provide a total block. However if a manufacturer is offering higher ratings (some go up to 100) you should assume that the top rating is the only one to offer total block and lower figures provide proportionately less.

Standard clothing offers a degree of protection, that degree depending largely on the closeness of the weave though darker colours are reported to offer more than lighter ones.

Categories in theory are:

UPF % UVR Transmitted
High Protection 20-29 5.0-3.4
Very High Protection 30-39 3.3-2.6
Maximum Protection 40+ Less than or equal to 2.5


The British Standards Institution (BSI) has designed a logo with blazing sun which manufacturers will be allowed to use if their products offer an SPF of at least 30. It is most likely to be found on t-shirts and shorts, plus some winter sports clothes.

Creams

Types
Cream sunscreens may be either physical barriers like white, paste creams, or chemical absorbers, or both.

The physical barriers reflect the sun's UV rays and are reported the most effective, but can look unattractive on the skin.

Chemical absorbers are designed to soak up UV radiation, reducing the amount of UV rays reaching the skin. Although most sunscreens rely on chemical barriers, there are a growing number of suggestions that they may be best avoided, particularly on young children (see below).

Protection
Protection from UV rays is indicated by the sun protection factor (SPF) rating. There is no universal grading for this but for young children a minimum SPF of 15 is recommended. The star rating indicates a ratio of UVA to UVB protection. At least three or ideally four stars is recommended. Note that there will be no UVA protection unless it is mentioned on the bottle. Note also that the upper levels of SPF ratings appear to be relatively meaningless with a maximum permitted in Australia of 30+ for example. The difference between an SPF 30 and SPF 45 will probably be minimal.

If when unprotected a child would burn in 10 minutes, a cream with an SPF of 15 would allow him or her to spend 15 times longer (two and a half hours) in the sun. The period of protection offered cannot be extended by reapplying the cream. However effectiveness apparently wears off after around 90 minutes so if the safe period is longer than that, you will need to reapply the product.

Whatever you use should be applied 20 minutes or more before going outside (some producers recommend 45 minutes) as it takes time for the cream to start working.

You should allow two good tablespoons of sunscreen to cover an adult body. Given that this should be reapplied this means that an adult would need as much as six bottles of sunscreen to last for a two-week holiday and a child around half that.

Potential Problems
There is growing concern about the chemical ingredients of some of these products. It is not yet clear what happens to the energy from the UV radiation when absorbed by the chemical sunscreens and whether there is any reaction with the skin, or if absorbed, in the body itself. A report in 2001 raised the concern that several UV sunscreens show oestrogenic activity so could potentially disrupt the endocrine glands which secrete hormones. Particularly highlighted were benzophenone-3, homosalate, 4-methyl-benzylidene camphor, octyl-methoxycinnamate, and octyl-dimethyl-PABA. There are even suggestions that some of the chemicals used could be carcinogenic. Given that in many cases a chemical is only effective against UVA or UVB rays, chemical screen products generally include a combination, which can increase the risk of adverse effects. Chemical sunscreens make up around 80% of the sunscreen market, in large part because they are cheaper to make then the mineral alternatives.

Note that the SPF rating achieved in the lab is for a layer much thicker than used by most people in practice - ie lotion is checked at a thickness of 2mm, not rubbed in. As a result in practice the SPF rating is as little as half that on the bottle.

Sweat, as well as swimming, can wash off the cream and while water resistant options last better they too are rubbed off by towels and clothing.

Note too however, that waterproof creams are not a good idea if the child might need to sweat. This kind of product prevents the skin from doing so, a vital method of cooling the body.

Anything placed on a baby or a child's skin will, to a degree, be absorbed. This in itself is not ideal but the chemicals can also provoke more immediate allergic reactions. If your child reacts to a particular product you will need to check the ingredients and try another which uses alternatives. According to one dermatologist, the most likely culprit is titanium dioxide, though complementary practitioners often also recommend avoiding zinc.

Given the possibility of an allergic reaction it would be best to opt for a perfume-free brand, and one without mosquito repellent. Further chemicals add more variables to the cocktail and although the basic chemicals have all been tested individually, the combinations very rarely have.

In the vast majority of cases any ‘natural' ingredients, whatever the claims on the bottle, are either irrelevant or in quantities too small to be effective.

How to Use
Whatever you use you should ensure that the product is applied to all exposed areas including ears, neck, hands and feet. According to the Health Education Authority's Sun Know How campaign, most people apply cream too thinly, so they provide less protection than the SPF on the bottle suggests. It can be helpful to put a higher SPF on highly exposed areas such as noses and even collar and cheek bones, to avoid burning.

Whatever you use should be applied 20-30 minutes before going outside as it takes time for the cream to start working.

However, note that increasingly doctors are becoming doubtful about the usefulness of creams, believing that they lead people to consider they are better protected than in fact they are.

Options

All pharmacies stock sun barrier creams but given how important the issue is, it is worth looking for one which will provide the extra protection children need, in the best way possible.

• MASTA offers E45 cream which ‘uses only non irritant, mineral-based sun screens which form a protective shield on the skin to reflect away sunlight'. It is reported ideal for infants and children. [Suppliers]



• Dr Hauschka From a range developed originally in Germany in the ‘50s by a chemist using ‘rhythmic water extraction process' and featuring a large number of botanical/herbal ingredients. The sunscreen lotions use titanium dioxide as a barrier and include one specifically for children.



• Forever Living sun tan lotion is recommended by complementary practitioners as safe for children, which has an SPF rating of 30, is water resistant and offers UVA and UVB protection. It is reported particularly effective combined with Forever Living's Aloe Gelly, used in advance to encourage collagen production and add moisture. Unlike most Aloe Vera products, this one is produced by one of the few companies which has managed to stabilise Aloe Vera for use in its range. [Suppliers]



• Green People offers a range of organic products designed to minimise the number of artificial chemicals used. While it an entirely chemical free product, considered by some experts the best of its type. Testing by Proof, the publication which looks at alternatives to mainstream products, found the Edelweiss sun lotion the only one it rated as ‘excellent'.



• Liz Earle Sun Shade is a range by a skin care expert for use on sensitive skin. Includes mineral, ie non-chemical, sunscreens to blocks the sun (pure titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, very finely ground to avoid the heavy white look) and incorporates botanical antioxidants green tea and pomegranate, plus natural source vitamin E, another antioxidant. There is no added fragrance. Also includes shea butter for the skin.



• NHR Organics sunscreen lotion from a high quality aromatherapy supplier, SPF 24 and SPF 9 in a Soil Association certified range with a plant sun blocker.

Afterburn Solutions

If you do have an accident and someone burns it is important to have to hand something which can help minimise the damage. Potentially helpful options include

• Forever Living's Aloe Vera Gelly. [Suppliers]



• Camomile essential oil in the bath.



• Camomile and lavender essential oils mixed in a base oil.



• Yoghurt.



• Vitamin E oil.



• An afterburn product from Barefoot Botanicals. [Suppliers]

Sunglasses

Eyes need to be protected from the sun with glasses with a UV filter to international standards.
[Suppliers]

UV Protection Cabanas

A growing number of suppliers are offering pop-up cabanas. These are helpful if you want to take little ones to the beach for example, especially if they want to sleep. Note however that these will still get hot so you should not leave a baby in one for any great length of time.
[Suppliers]

Monitor

Body IQ
60 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8AG
(020) 7486 7278
bodywatch
Produces the Bodywatch UV Monitor, a stick on patch that monitors exposure to the UV rays, reported suitable for children.
A pack of 15 patches costs £5.99 + £1 p&p.


Tanita UV-Smart
The Barn Philpots Close, Yiewsley Middlesex UB7 7RY
(0800) 731 6994
tanita
A 10cmx5cm gadget which measures UVA and UVB rays as one of four levels, to give users an idea of what level of sun protection is required. It costs £24.99. No direct sales but the web site gives a link to a mail order suppliers.

More Information

The National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB)
Chilton, Didcot, Oxon OX11 0RQ
(01235) 831 600
NRPB
Produces a leaflet Ultraviolet Radiation as well as reports and consultation documents around the issue. Can also provide a leaflet with more detailed information on fabric and sun protection.