Let’s be honest; we’ve had a bit of a rubbish summer so far. The last few weeks have been a series of brief, hopeful moments of sunshine, followed by longer periods of grey and gloom, and as a result, knowing how to prepare for the weather has been a nightmare. Do you chance it with that cute new summer dress or plump for jeans and risk sweating it out if and when the sun decides to make an appearance? And what about sun cream? You may think that it’s not worth bothering with, but a new study has shown that, regardless of the weather, sun cream can do wonders for your wellbeing.
If you use sun cream every day, you are –without a shadow of a doubt – strengthening your anti-ageing wellness. This is according to a new study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, which has scientifically proven that daily use of sun cream prevents ageing. This is based on data from 900 young and middle-aged men and women, who were followed for four and a half years. The researchers from Queensland Institute of Medical Research discovered that, in those who wore SPF 15+ sunscreen most days; there were no detectable signs of ageing.
According to lead author and epidemiologist Adele Green, ‘This has been one of those beauty tips that you often hear quoted, but for the first time we can back it with science. Protecting yourself from skin cancer by using sunscreen regularly has the added bonus of keeping you looking younger.’ Of the participants who had used sun cream most days on their face, arms and hands, half showed no signs of ageing at all. Moreover, frequent sun cream users exhibited 24% less skin ageing than those who used sunscreen only some of the time.
For the study, the researchers took silicone moulds from the backs of all the participants’ hands at the start and end of the study, to assess sun damage. The researchers made sure that each participant in the study was under the age of 55, as this guarantees that photo-ageing – rather than chronological ageing – was the major factor in any skin changes. The low age of the participants mean that up until middle age, it’s not too late to use sun cream to lessen the impact of the sun’s rays on your skin.
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