Newcastle University (2016)

The sodium flare suggests it is another type of radiation that is causing the effect on your face. Different types of radiation, as you probably know, have different wavelengths and therefore different protection is required. It will be important for you to ascertain the wavelength of radiation that is coming from the sodium flare to match the protection

For 4 Americanos you can buy one bottle of sunscreen. So, it’s not too expensive and if you swapped for a week, you’ll be saving your skin.

There’s nothing wrong with sunscreen. It’s the way that you use it that counts. Most people don’t put it on correctly, or the right thickness. Thinking that they are protected, when they are not. Sunscreen should always be used as a useful tool in the sun-smart toolbox.

What do you use for sun protection?

Great question, as this is a tricky one to answer. We need to protect our skin from excessive sun damage, but at the same time getting enough sun light to generate sufficient quantities of Vitamin D. Although the diet provides Vitamin D, sun light is still the best source. However, many skin cancer charities have tried to answer this question, and one of the best statements comes from Cancer Research UK, which encourages people to receive enough sun light on unprotected skin, but which does not allow you to burn. The summary is – a little bit of sun light goes a long way to producing Vitamin D.
In Caucasian skin this approximates to 15 minutes of sun exposure. But remember, get out of the sun well before you burn!

Despite small fluctuations, the SPF labelled on the bottle is pretty good. The biggest problem is that people don’t put enough on. At best they put on half the thickness – it should be a teaspoon per limb!

Different continents have different regulatory organisations, which explains the differences in allowed actives that you find between Asian and US formulations.

We’re looking at young first before smooth this is because Complex II is key in keeping the batteries of our skin topped up and providing sufficient bioenergy to slow down the effects of ageing on our skin. The downstream effect of this is that healthy skin with lots of bioenergy will help to reduce fine lines and wrinkles but as we know this is a long process.
Complex II is part of the respiratory chain of mitochondria which provides ATP for all cells including skin. As we age, our bioenergy decreases and free radicals increase. Finding actives that reduce the decline in complex II activity will help to slow the signs of ageing.

Guessing from your username, you’re looking to get a tan. Have you tried fake tans? In terms of protecting your skin, you’d be wanting an SPF of at least 30, because almost everyone puts on sunscreen to half of the recommended thickness at best, which means you’re only getting an equivalent of about SPF 15 (a ballpark figure, as the relationship is not linear).

We’re looking at young first before smooth this is because Complex II is key in keeping the batteries of our skin topped up and providing sufficient bioenergy to slow down the effects of ageing on our skin. The downstream effect of this is that healthy skin with lots of bioenergy will help to reduce fine lines and wrinkles but as we know this is a long process.
Complex II is part of the respiratory chain of mitochondria which provides ATP for all cells including skin. As we age, our bioenergy decreases and free radicals increase. Finding actives that reduce the decline in complex II activity will help to slow the signs of ageing.

For clarification, is this the same "complex II" as the one in the electron transport chain? At which stage of gene expression is faulty in the elderly and how does it become faulty?

Yes it is, succinate ubiquinone oxidoreductase.The decline in complex II was found from 7 years to 77 and so it is not just happening in old skin.

> Why does my brown skin temporarily darken as a result of sun exposure (even while wearing sunscreen), but return to its original shade as soon as I get home and shower? Is it possible for a tan to be this temporary?

Always important to protect against skin damage whatever your skin type. Your skin tone darkens following sun exposure due to the increase in melanin (dark pigment), which serves to protect your skin against further damage. Skin darkening is part of the S.O.S. signal to protect your skin.

There are sun screens with coloured tones to suit different skin types. Which one are you using?

Depends on what you’re doing outside (sport, chatting with friends). If you’re chatting with friends, the best form of sun protection is a tree (shade )! Of course, wearing a broad-brimmed hat is good, or if you’re out at a social event remember you can always wear a shirt with a collar and turn your back to sun, which protects your face from getting burned. Think about next time you’re going to a concert or sporting event at a stadium and consider whether you’re going to be looking at sun.

If you keep it out of direct of sunlight, sunscreen will certainly work effectively up to the use by date. If you are using a one-day application sunscreen, then be really sure that you’ve not missed any areas. If not, reapplying every 2 hours is always helpful to ensure you’ve not missed any areas, particularly if you are doing vigorous weeding in the garden.

It would obviously be better not to burn in the first place, however it can happen quite easily even on a cloudy summer day. Skin redness is an increase of blood flow to the burnt area, and is part of defence approach that the skin uses. Tanning is also part of this SOS response. Therefore, the damage has already occurred and most people use cooling balms to help reduce the heat.

Aloe has been shown to have antioxidant benefits in skin protection against UV. However, skin protection includes both – SPF, as well as antioxidant benefit, therefore Aloe should not be the only ingredient used as we need to have components like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide and chemical sunscreens to form a shield against the harmful UV rays.

Yes, re-applying is always a good idea, as sunscreen can be removed when drying off after a swim or sporting activity

Also, re-applying helps to get even coverage and to identify any missed areas of sunscreen application.

Different countries give different maximum SPFs. Generally, the maximum is around 50, but there are certainly ones with higher SPFs. The important question again is application, because incomplete application of a high SPF (eg50) could give you lower protection than recommended application of an SPF 15. The recommended application is 2 milligrams per cm2.

Thank you! We found that Complex II activity declines only in the lower layer of the skin with age. This is the part that is responsible for skin ageing. We noticed that the decline with age was approximately linear over the range studied (7 to 80 years).

Yes, there are many variables, but one important variable is pattern and dose of UV exposure. In other words, it’s not just how much sun exposure you get, it depends on the pattern or episode of that exposure (for example, getting it all in one setting, or over a period of time). Then, of course, there is genetic predisposition which is an important variable in cutaneous malignant melanoma.

I'd love to help you and can do so through the University consultancy services email: business@ncl.ac.uk

I study sun damage/protection – not sunburn! …and the sun does shine here sometimes!! It’s an exciting opportunity but the key for me is attracting a critical mass of companies that will boost the local economy and also attract larger companies to the region. The North East has a lot to offer as we have a historical record of being innovative.

I study sun damage/protection – not sunburn! …and the sun does shine here sometimes!! It’s an exciting opportunity but the key for me is attracting a critical mass of companies that will boost the local economy and also attract larger companies to the region. The North East has a lot to offer as we have a historical record of being innovative.