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The Jewish Chronicle

Your guide to solar power

If you thought tanning got complicated when SPF numbers were introduced back in the 1980s...

May 23, 2011 10:00
Swimsuit, £28.50 and white shirt £35, both M&Co

ByJan Shure, Jan Shure

6 min read

If you thought tanning got complicated when SPF numbers were introduced back in the 1980s, you may find that the labelling introduced following last year's round of EU sun-screen regulations drives you to a darkened room for a little lie down.

Until the new EU regulations, SPFs related only to protection from UVB radiation. While UVB rays were long seen as the baddies - the rays that burn and add to the risks of cancer - UVA rays are far from innocent, causing the premature ageing of skin and contributing to the risk of skin cancer.

The packaging on all sun-protection products must now list the levels of protection against both UVA and UVB, with a recommended ratio of 1 to 3, which means an SPF30 product, should also offer SPF10 against UVA.

The most important thing to remember is that sunscreens simply cannot deliver total protection from UV radiation, with even the highest SPFs letting some UV rays through - even products which claim to offer "total protection" or be a sun-block.