The Obvious Sunscreen Tip We're Forgetting

By BR Kellie

Kellie Confession:  I spent a goodly chunk of my life as a confirmed sun lover.

The moment the weather warmed up my bod was out in the sun. I soaked myself in baby oil. I plopped myself on a towel or in a bean bag, and I tanned up. I gave no regard to SPF or UV rays or the dangers of skin cancer. In my defence, I was brought up in the times where SPF wasn't all that much of a thing, when your parents thought you looked healthier with a tan, when they themselves would spend hours out in the sun twisting and turning like a rotisserie chicken. 

Then the skin cancer message began to sink in. Not as quickly as the baby oil, but it got there. These days my skin sees the sun through necessity, such as when I go for a walk or decide to deal to the jungle that is my garden. When I'm out there you had best believe I've got SPF action going on.

Up until recently I thought that when it came to skin safety I was covered. Sorted. A+ for BR Kellie. Except. Wellllllll, not so much. The BR Crew were in research mode the other day and we stumbled across a bit of information that some of us knew, some of us didn't. A piece of information that could have quite the negative impact on someone like me who, although SPFs when she's out and about, doesn't think twice about it when she's inside working. That piece of info?

If you spend a lot of time sitting by a window - be that in the car, at home or in the office - you are subjecting yourself to UV rays and need to wear sunscreen.

This piece of information came by way of the SunSmart website, where in their FAQ the question 'I can't get sunburnt through glass' was busted with a big old 'FALSE'. 

It turns out that while glass reduces UV radiation it does not fully block them. So if you're sitting in direct sunlight for long periods while driving, at work or at home, then you need to get your SPF on and remember to reapply it regularly. 

Soooooo... Am I the only person who didn't think about this? Who else didn't put two and two together and come up with 'wear sunscreen inside when your idea of hot-desking means moving your laptop from one sunny spot to another'? Or are you down with this piece of info and regularly slip, slop, slap when you're working or travelling in direct line of the sun? Chat away!