Factor 30 or 50??

[Jake90]

Hi all, I am very fortunate to be flying out on Saturday 23rd June. I am hearing that it is scorching hot out there and was wondering would it be worth taking a factor 50 just for the first couple of days?

I have a 30 and a 15 which Im planning to take. Do I start with 50, 30 then 15 or would I be ok with a 30 then 15?

I'm not lily white or very faired skin. Jake.

[noodles1609]

I've been June/July/August and never go higher than 20. The secret is, if you sweat it out, you need to reapply more. Higher factors on adult skin can stop your skin from breathing, so whilst they offer protection from the uv rays, they offer no protection from the heat, and as such it's easy to overheat and boil your skin underneath it's "protection", higher factors can also encourage prickly heat. If you are not fair skinned and don't usually burn, I'd stick to lower factors if I were you, just keep drinking the water and keep on applying

[dragon]

I would definitely use SPF 50 for the first few days. When we're in Icmeler it's always 40+ and I always use SPF 50 at the start of the holiday and after a few days change to a SPF 30 and then to SPF20 in the last few days and I always come home with a lovely tan and by tanning this way I avoid peeling.

Most people don’t apply as much sunscreen as recommended or needed making an SPF-30 work more like an SPF-15. If you only start with an SPF-15, it’s more like an SPF-5. It's also important to remember that the protection against UVA is much more important than the UVB and you need at least a three star. This protects you from skin cancer and wrinkles. it's just not worth the risk.

[dragon]

Forgot to mention the prickly heat. Never had it in all the years of going to Icmeler but had it last month from sitting out in the back garden. To avoid prickly heat you have to avoid overheating, regular dips in the pool, sorted.

[daisysun]

i've got to agree with dragon and say start with as high as possible so yeah 50, its not worth putting lower on to start off with

[Chris221273]

I started on a factor 30 last year (I tan quite easily) and after a few days dropped to a 15, not a good idea.
My shoulders were pink within an hour of sitting on the beach.
The sun in icmeler is very strong, and the cooling breeze you get on the beach makes it feel a lot cooler than it actually is!
Use 30 for the first week would be my advice, and then drop down to 15 if you've got a nice base tan going on.
Chris & Anita

[Jake90]

Thank you all for all your input.

I am certainly going to use the cream every few hours and as high as possible until I get a nice colour, then drop.

Much appreciated all, can't wait for Saturday!!