Why didn't my sunscreen work?

4 min read
Why didn't my sunscreen work?
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Why didn't my sunscreen work? 

It is frustrating if you’ve used sunscreen thinking that you were protected only to find out later when you’ve already experienced severe sunburn that the sunscreen was not adequately protecting your skin.

There are literally hundreds of articles on the internet about people who have used sunscreen which didn’t protect them to the level they expected.

There are many reasons why the sunscreen used didn’t work, some of the potential reasons are highlighted below:

The sunscreen could be past its use by date, became unreliable over time or was part of a faulty batch in the first place.

The sunscreen didn’t block (zinc based sunscreen) or absorb (chemical based sunscreen) as much of the UV radiation because it had a lower (15 or below) SPF rating.

Sunscreen should be applied around 20 minutes before a person goes in the sun.

Most people don’t apply enough sunscreen in the first place.

The sunscreen was not applied consistently to all of the skin exposed to the sun.

Very few people re-apply sunscreen as regularly as they should.

If a person goes in the water or experiences perspiration they should reapply immediately.

Sunscreen should be considered a "last resort" not a primary means of sun protection

The key message from this blog is that sunscreen should be seen as a "last resort" for protecting a person from the sun on areas of their skin that absolutely have to be exposed to direct sunlight.

Sunscreen is a useful means of sun protection but should not be relied upon as the only means of protection from the sun as it is an application to the skin and there are many reasons why it might not perform as well as hoped, many highlighted above.

Wearing UPF 50+ sun protective clothing and a broad brim sun hat is the best way to prevent sunburn, skin ageing and skin cancer

It is universally agreed upon by leading dermatologists that wearing UPF 50+ sun protecting clothing and broad brim hats is the best way to prevent sunburn, skin ageing and skin cancer.

Solbari Sun Protection is the leading sun protective clothing brand in Australia with customers in over 70 countries.

You can find out more about Solbari's sun protective range by clicking the blue links below:
Women UPF 50+
Men UPF 50+
Sun hats UPF 50+
Accessories UPF 50+ 
SPF 50+ Sunscreen

Content Disclaimer: This website pro­vides gen­eral infor­ma­tion about med­i­cine, health and related sub­jects. All content and media on the Solbari website is created and published online for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice. If the reader or any other per­son has a med­ical con­cern, he or she should seek professional advice.

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