Lashing on the SPF right now? You can support the Irish Cancer Society by buying La Roche-Posay suncream

Oh the weather outside is... delightful!

How often do we get to say that in Ireland? May 2020 has been treating us very well on the weather front, and the bank holiday is set to be a mostly sunny one, with Met Éireann forecasting temperatures of up to 25C right across the long weekend. The lockdown message from the Government is stay home and stay safe – and that applies to protecting yourself from the sun too. Medical experts recommend that we wear an SPF of at least Factor 30, with Factor 50 for children. Apply your sunscreen at least 20 minutes before going outdoors, and make sure to reapply it often (a good guide for knowing when to top up, is to give yourself one minute of protection for every degree of SPF, so factor 30 is roughly a half hour's protection). And anyone who is WFH today should be aware the UVA rays can pass through glass, so if your work station is by a window you can still potentially suffer skin damage. For more information on staying safe in the sun, check out the Irish Cancer Society's guide to preventing skin cancer. And you can support the Irish Cancer Society while you protect yourself by buying your sunscreen from La Roche-Posay. A partner of the Irish Cancer Society for 14 years now, the expert skincare brand will contribute €1 from the sale of every stickered suncare product to the charity this summer. The donations will go towards supporting the research and awareness work that the Society does in preventing skin cancer.

Consultant Dermatologist Niki Ralph says that as a nation our attitude to suncare is "worrying". 

"With so few complying to health guidelines around SPF, particularly evident with statistics showing over 50% of Irish people suffered sunburn last year. I cannot stress enough the importance of wearing a broad-spectrum, high factor SPF daily. We must practice safe sun at home in Ireland this summer, just as we would if we were holidaying abroad.”

As someone who has a classic Irish complexion and sensitive skin, I've personally long been a fan of the brand's Antihelios range. The Anti-Shine SPF50+ Gel Cream (€19.50) is non-perfumed and dry to the touch which makes it great for using on your face. And the brand has added a new spray version of its Antihelios Invisible Fluide SPF50+ (€22) this year. La Roche-Posay is available from pharmacies nationwide, with recommended prices starting at €14 for the Anti-Shine Face Mist.