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We all know we should wear sunscreen – we’ve heard it often enough – but knowing we should use it and using it properly aren’t quite the same thing.
Most of us don’t use enough. We put it on once and hope for the best. We miss the less glamorous bits such as the ears, feet, the back of the neck and we can still fall into the trap of thinking sunscreen is only needed when we’re lying on a beach towel.
By the time we’re in our 50s and beyond, UV damage isn’t just about whether we burn on holiday. It’s about all the sun exposure that’s built up over the years, and the effect that can have on ageing skin, pigmentation, actinic keratoses and skin cancer risk.
It’s something Dr Simon Smail, a GP and medical director at Evergreen Medical and Wellness Centre, sees regularly in his skin clinic, where he carries out mole checks and travel health appointments.
“Sunscreen is not a permission slip to roast yourself,” he explains. “It is the last layer of protection after shade, clothing, hats and common sense.”
That careful little blob of sunscreen you dab on before leaving the house? It may make you feel virtuous, but it probably isn’t giving you the protection promised on the bottle.
When asked about the biggest sunscreen mistake people make from a skin ageing point of view, Dr Memee Ahmad of SkinCouture Clinic has a simple answer:
“Underapplication, by far. Most people apply somewhere between a quarter and a half of the amount used in SPF testing, which means a labelled SPF 50 is often performing closer to SPF 15 or 20 on the skin.”
In other words, buying a high-factor sunscreen is only half the job. You also need to use enough of it. Dr Smail says most people apply sunscreen far too thinly.
“As a rough guide, an adult needs around 6-8 teaspoons to cover the whole body,” he says. “For the face and neck, many dermatologists use the ‘two-finger rule’ as a practical guide – two lines of sunscreen along the index and middle finger – although the exact amount depends on face size and how much skin is exposed.”
And yes, that probably means getting through more sunscreen than you think. As Dr Smail puts it: “If the bottle is still full at the end of the holiday, you probably weren’t using enough.”
This is where holidays catch people out. You apply sunscreen before breakfast, spend the day sightseeing, walking around a port, sitting on deck or having lunch outside and by 3pm, that morning application is doing a lot less than you think.
Dr Ahmad says that sunscreen shouldn’t be treated as a once-a-day, morning-only step. “UVA penetrates glass and cloud and stays fairly constant throughout daylight hours,” she says. “So if you are genuinely out in it, it needs reapplying.”
Dr Smail agrees, saying timing matters as much as technique.
“If you are going to be outdoors for long enough to risk burning, apply sunscreen before you go out and then reapply generously,” he says. “On holiday, at the beach, on a cruise deck, walking around a city or playing golf, I would generally advise reapplying at least every two hours, and always after swimming, sweating heavily or towel drying.”
And don’t be fooled by the label, he adds. “‘Water resistant’ does not mean ‘towel-proof’ or ‘all-day-proof’.”
“On cruises, people can underestimate UV because of breeze and reflection from water,” says Dr Smail. “On city breaks, people often forget sunscreen because they are ‘just walking around’, but long days sightseeing can offer as much sun exposure as the beach.”
A few more moments to watch:
Coach tours and car journeys: You may be sitting down, but UVA passes through glass, so arms, hands and faces still catch the sun.
Lunch outdoors: That lovely table in the square is less lovely at midday, when UV is often at its strongest.
Pale stone cities: White walls, pale pavements and open plazas bounce light back at you, adding to your exposure.
Trips at altitude: UV gets stronger the higher you go, so cooler mountain air doesn’t mean lower risk.
Beach or pool days: Swimming, sweating and towel drying all strip protection away, so one morning application won’t see you through.
SPF gets all the attention on the bottle, but it only measures part of your protection.
“SPF mainly tells you how much protection you are getting against UVB, the rays most responsible for sunburn,” says Dr Smail. “UVA rays penetrate more deeply into the skin and are strongly linked not just with skin ageing and pigmentation, but skin cancer too.”
That’s why he recommends checking for both: “I would look for at least SPF 30 and good UVA protection, ideally 4 or 5 stars or the UVA circle logo.”
In the UK, that star rating or circle logo appears on the packaging, so it’s worth a quick check before you buy. And while SPF 30 is the sensible minimum, SPF 50 makes sense if you have fair skin, a previous skin cancer, visible sun damage, thinning hair, or if you spend a lot of time outdoors or holiday somewhere with stronger sun.
For many of us, the real damage comes not from one dramatic week in the Med but from all the ordinary days when we didn’t think we were “in the sun” at all. Gardening. Driving. Walking the dog. Sitting outside with a coffee. None of it feels like sunbathing, but your skin doesn’t care what you call it. Dr Ahmad says this everyday exposure is often missed.
“These low intensity, high frequency exposures often add up to a greater cumulative UV dose than the occasional beach holiday, precisely because they are not perceived as sun exposure, so protection gets skipped,” she explains.
Driving is a case in point, and not just on sunny days. “UVA passes straight through side windows,” says Dr Ahmad, “and in the UK the right side of the face and arm often shows measurably more sun damage than the left, simply from time at the wheel.”
The sun has no respect for the places we find awkward to reach. Dr Smail says the areas people forget are “very predictable”: ears, the back of the neck, the scalp or parting line, temples, lips, the tops of the feet, backs of the hands, chest, shoulders and around the eyes.
Research highlighted by the British Association of Dermatologists found that, on average, people missed 9.5% of the face when applying sunscreen. The most commonly missed areas included the eyelids and the area between the inner corner of the eye and the bridge of the nose.
Higher up, there’s another blind spot, and it becomes more of an issue as hair changes with age. “For the over-50s, the scalp is particularly important, especially in men with thinning hair,” says Dr Smail. “A hat is often better than trying to rub sunscreen through hair.”
It’s also worth paying attention to the places that tend to give your age away first: the backs of the hands, chest, neck and face. Dr Ahmad says UV exposure stimulates pigment cells unevenly, “which is why pigmentation becomes patchier rather than simply darker with age.”
A £40 sunscreen used sparingly is not better than a £6 one used properly. Dr Smail says cost isn’t a reliable marker of protection and a luxury sunscreen isn’t automatically better than a supermarket or pharmacy own-brand product.
“What matters is the label: SPF 30 or above, strong UVA protection, and enough product used often enough,” he says. “I would rather someone bought an affordable sunscreen and used it generously than bought an expensive one and rationed it like perfume.”
Of course, texture still matters. If you hate the feel of a sunscreen or it stings your eyes, you’re less likely to use it so find a formula you’ll actually put on.
Sunscreen doesn’t last forever. Research has found that high temperatures can affect sunscreen stability and experts warn heat may alter the formulation itself, meaning it may not work as well as expected. Before you squeeze out whatever’s lurking at the back of the bathroom cupboard, give it a once-over.
“Last year’s bottle may be fine, but check it properly,” says Dr Smail. “Look for the expiry date and the open-jar symbol, which might say something like 12M or 24M, meaning how long it should be used after opening.”
Trust your senses too. If it smells odd, has separated, gone watery or gritty, or you’ve no idea how old it is, then replace it.
“Sunscreen also degrades faster if it has been left in a hot car, beach bag or direct sun for long periods,” says Dr Smail. “I personally feel that it is sensible to start each year or holiday with a fresh bottle. It is simply not worth the risk.”
This is especially relevant in later life, when many of us are taking more regular medication than we did in our 20s. It’s worth checking whether anything you take could affect your skin in the sun.
“Some medicines can make skin more sensitive to sunlight and cause a phototoxic reaction, which can look like exaggerated sunburn or a rash on exposed skin,” says Dr Smail.
Common examples include:
One drug is worth singling out if you’re heading somewhere tropical.
“Doxycycline deserves a special mention for travellers,” says Dr Smail. “It is sometimes used as malaria prophylaxis (preventative medication), but it can make some people much more sun-sensitive.”
None of this means stopping prescribed medication or changing your plans but before you go away, read the leaflet that comes with your medicine, and if you’re not sure, ask a pharmacist, GP or travel clinic.
If your skin already has pigmentation, sunspots or texture changes, it can be tempting to think the damage is done, but that’s not quite true. Sunscreen won’t turn back the clock completely, but it can stop you pressing fast-forward.
“The skin retains a degree of repair capacity throughout life, so consistent sun protection at any age slows further collagen breakdown and allows a measure of genuine recovery,” explains Dr Ahmad.
UV damage builds up over time, so much of the harm from your twenties and thirties only surfaces decades later. Starting sunscreen now won’t erase what’s there, but Dr Ahmad says it can do more than most people assume, helping prevent further damage and even supporting some improvement in texture, clarity and pigmentation.
There’s research to support that as well. In one study, people who used a broad-spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen daily for a year saw improvements in signs of photoageing, including skin texture, clarity and pigmentation.
Still, it’s worth keeping expectations realistic. “The gains are real but modest,” says Dr Ahmad, “so I would frame them as partial rather than a full reversal.”
The best sunscreen isn’t the most expensive or most heavily advertised. It’s the one that protects properly and that you’ll actually use.
Start with the label: broad spectrum (meaning UVA and UVB protection), SPF 30 or above, and a 4 or 5-star UVA rating or the UVA circle logo. SPF 50 is worth considering if you have fair skin, a previous skin cancer, visible sun damage, thinning hair or a holiday somewhere hotter, though Dr Smail says the number matters less than your technique.
“The jump from SPF 30 to SPF 50 is less important than applying enough and reapplying it,” he says. “A perfect SPF 50 cream used badly can still give poor protection.”
From there, it’s about finding a formula you like, because the sunscreen you hate is the one that stays in the bathroom cabinet.
For mature skin, Dr Ahmad suggests “a fluid or serum textured broad spectrum formula built around newer generation filters, which avoid the heavy feel and white cast of older mineral products”.
If your skin is sensitive or easily irritated, she says mineral filters such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide are generally better tolerated than chemical ones, while “a tinted formula with iron oxides adds useful protection against visible light, which is relevant for pigmentation”.
Or as Dr Smail puts it: “The best sunscreen is usually the one someone likes enough to use properly.
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