Hurrah! The last rays of summer look set to shine but are you doing enough to keep your skin protected even when we’re not basking in sunshine?

It might sound twee but when the sun’s shining, there’s no better place to be than Ireland.
And while you might think that Irish sunshine doesn’t warrant the same levels of sun protection as say Spain or further afield does, Irish sun is just as harmful, despite how weak it might feel for most of the summer!

Research commissioned by Boots Ireland has revealed that only 11% of Irish adults wear suncream every day during the summer months – despite the fact that 39% say they know it’s important to wear SPF on a daily basis.

The research also found that women are more vigilant when it comes to sun protection with 16% of women applying sun cream every day during the summer compared to only 5% of men.

Parents are the most sun safe group with 87% of those interviewed revealing that they always ensure that their child applies sun cream regularly. However only 44% admitted that they keep their children out of the sun between 12-3pm and less than a third always ensure they wear sunglasses.

The research comes on the back of the recent Irish Cancer Society SunSmart campaign which revealed that skin cancer reached over 10,000 cases annually, an increase of 81% since 1994, making skin cancer the most common cancer in Ireland.

Clare O’Connor, Boots Soltan Sun Care Expert says ‘Every day, come rain or shine, skin is exposed to harmful UVA and UVB rays. Whilst sitting in the shade or covering up with a t-shirt can help to reduce exposure to UV rays unfortunately they don’t offer complete protection. This is why it’s so important to make sure you’re also protecting your family with an effective sunscreen that contains a high SPF with 5* UVA protection. Applying sun cream takes just a couple of minutes but helps protect your skin from the damage the sun causes now and any longer term effects of the damage.’

Clare continues: ‘Obviously parents are already thinking about sunscreen but we’re encouraging them to make sun protection a top priority this summer, whether at home or abroad. While we can feel and see some parts of the sun’s rays, UVA and UVB rays are invisible. It’s these invisible UVA and UVB rays, however, that have visible effects on the skin such as sun damage and premature ageing.  Once the skin is pink, damage has been done. The good news is that, with proper use of sun protection, these effects can be very easily avoided.’

With 75 years of experience and developed by Boots scientists, you can trust the entire Boots Soltan range to give you and your family uncompromised protection this summer.  Boots Soltan is the only major sun cream brand in Ireland which has a 5* rating for all of its products. That’s why no other sun cream brand protects you and your family better against sun damage and premature ageing.