Sunscreen not to best way to beat burns

With skin cancer rates on the rise, it’s important to make sure you’re avoiding overexposure to sun during the summer months.

Skin damage can happen even when it’s cloudy outside and so sunscreen is always important when heading out for a run in the summer. It’s always worth checking the UV index whenever you check the weather, but surveys in the past have also found that sunscreen isn’t the best way to beat sunburns.

A 2011 study of white adults in the United States found that the best way to beat sunburns while outside is simply to regularly find shade. It seems obvious, but a surprisingly low number of survey respondents said that, when outside for more than an hour in the sun, they regularly looked to find shade.

Of the 3,052 survey respondents, 30 per cent were regular sunscreen users and 25 per cent regularly looked for shade. Those who wore sunscreen were more likely to have had a sunburn in the past year and were also more likely to have had two more more sunburns.

“Despite being the most common sun protective behaviour used by white Americans, sunscreen use is not associated with fewer sunburns,” wrote the authors.

We would never suggest not wearing sunscreen — it’s certainly better than not doing so — but it’s also important to remember a broader approach when thinking about taking care of your skin during the summer. Think about clothing that blocks UVA and UVB (which is not all clothing, but more is showing up in stores), wearing a hat and planning your running routes through areas with more shade. You skin will thank you later.