Currently, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), which advises the NHS, recommends that people should use a minimum of factor 15 but a leading group of doctors have said that this needs to be changed.
The medics claim that SPF15 only provides all day protection if it is applied thickly and then reapplied every two hours, but most people don’t follow these guidelines.
It is thought that in reality, sunbathers use much less that what is advised and therefore get no more than half the protection that is indicated on the label.
“Products labelled with an SPF of 30 will more reliably deliver adequate sun protection to most people who use sunscreens,” says Dr Iheanacho, from the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin, which is calling for the change.
