Sunscreen to protect yourself

Sunscreen should always be used in conjunction with the other forms of sun protection listed above. It should not be used as the only form of protection.

Picture of a number of varieties of sunscreen and sun protection productsWhen buying sunscreen look for:

  • SPF 30+ to ensure you obtain the highest level of protection.
  • water resistant to help ensure the sunscreen will stay on in water, or when sweating and being active
  • an ‘Aust L’ number on the label to ensure the product has been passed by the Therapeutic Goods Administration
  • the ‘use by’ date to ensure the product has not expired. The sunscreen may not be as effective if it has passed its expiry date. Contact the manufacturer if you have any concerns.

When applying sunscreen, you should:

  • apply on clean, dry skin 20 minutes before going outside. This gives you the greatest level of protection
  • apply thickly to ensure you get maximum protection. On an average-sized adult, 35 ml should be applied; this is equivalent to at least 1 teaspoon of sunscreen per limb (i.e. per arm, leg etc).
  • reapply all sunscreen every 2 hours, and more regularly if swimming or sweating.

Other sun protection

As well as using sunscreen, use other forms of sun protection practices: