Now that the sun is showing itself more and more often, it's time to reach for the sunscreen. Because we love the sun, but we don't want to get burned! But from when is it really necessary to apply sunscreen? Spoiler alert: not just when the temperature rises above 20 degrees. For our sunscreen advice, we look at the UV index. We'll tell you more about it.
The power of the sun
The UV index indicates the strength of the sun. In this index, sun strength is indicated on a scale of 0 to 15. At an index of 0-2 we speak of virtually no sun strength, 3-4 weak sun strength, 5-6 moderate, 7-8 strong and 8+ very strong. In the Netherlands, the strength of the sun is generally 0 to 8. In high-altitude places or countries close to the equator, the index can reach 15. Although you might think that the UV index is higher on a warm day, that doesn't have to be the case at all. Sun strength is determined not by temperature, but by the position of the sun. The higher the sun is in the sky, the higher the UV index. The amount of UV radiation is affected by clouds, dust or moisture in the atmosphere.
At what UV index do you get burned?
The higher the UV index, the faster you burn. For example, at a UV index between 6-8, you can burn within a quarter hour if you have sensitive or light skin. The danger here is that your skin doesn't turn red immediately. This is sometimes only visible after a few hours. If you see your skin turning red, the burn has actually been happening for a while. Even at a lower UV index, burning is a risk. For example, at a UV index of 3, depending on your skin type, you can burn within half an hour.
At what UV index should you apply sunscreen?
At a UV index of 3 you can already get a sunburn, pretty shocking right? That's why it's recommended to apply sunscreen at least from UV index 3 onwards. In the Netherlands this is roughly from April to October. But, now that the sun is showing itself earlier, it doesn't hurt to apply sunscreen on a sunny day in February or March. In any case a good idea to always use a day cream with spf, your skin only gets more beautiful from it. Reapply every two hours, preferably with a sunscreen with at least SPF30.
