Suncare Confusion

[Breezy1979]

Hi

When I last went to the Canaries there was a local company selling their sun tan lotions though they were rather expensive. I remember them saying that as the canaries are near to the Sahara the sun protection needed is different to that of mainland Spain etc.

Does anyone know what the truth is in this? We are going back to Tenerife in June. If I have a brand such as boots, Nivea etc and have a high SPF and a 4 of 5 uv rating will this be ok? I know they mentioned that the sales rep mentioned that prickly heat is very common and that some Suncare lotions can aggravate the problem.

I don't normally listen to sales pitches but as sun protection is so important i don't want to take any risks. I have quite sensitive skin and my daughter is only a toddler so really want to buy the right type of product.

Thanks xx

sounds like a bit of a con to me and that they were trying to flog their products. I would choose a high factor suncream with 4 or 5 star protection (watch Nivea btw as a lot of their stuff has only 3 stars). I have used supermarket own brand stuff before as well and it worked just as well as the branded but was much cheaper.

Sounds a bit suspicious to me to be honest. I would go for the highest UVA and UVB ratings you can find.
When I did my sun care training with Boots a few years back the only time we couldn't advise on specific brands was when the customer was planning on swimming with dolphins, this was the only instance in which it was recommended you buy sun cream at the resort.
The sun is exactly the same wherever in the world you go, the closer to the equator the more you would likely benefit from a higher SPF and to take more precautions like staying out of the midday sun.
SPF 50 is the highest proven SPF available, which is why you can't buy a higher SPF in the country, also why no sun creams in this country can't be labelled as a 'sun block.'
Different countries have different criteria in testing, for example, in America you can get SPF 70 etc, but in laboratory testing these have been proven to be no more effective than a UK SPF 50.
It is also important to use a product you are comfortable applying effectively, and not using an old product that has been subject to extreme temperature changes (ie the one you had on holiday last year and took between a hot beach and air conditioned hotel room would not offer the same protection this year.)

The thing to remember is, of you burn without lotion in 10 minutes for example, your factor 50 will mean you shouldn't burn for 50 X 10 mins. The same as factor 20, means 20 X 10 mins. Does that make sense?

I go to the canaries every year and yes, it can be blisteringly hot at times, but as long as you are aware of your limits, it shouldn't make any difference. I bought Sainsburys basic range last year, for less than a fiver and it was really good! I looked at all the reviews and it came out one of the top. Half the time, you're paying for the easy apply spray or nice smell or silky finish!

Thank you for all your advice it has certainly reassured me. I am a factor 50 girl but will pay a bit more attention to the uv stars as well this time xx