The following story has been re-produced from Sky News.comSlapping on sunscreen is no substitute for covering up, doctors are warning. Experts insist protective clothing and hats are the best way to guard against skin cancer and the ageing effects of the sun.
Swiss skin specialist Dr Stephan Lautenschlager, from Triemli Hospital in Zurich, carried out a review of sun protection strategies around the world. His team said sunscreens could become the predominant mode of protection because clothing is often "deemed to be unacceptable in our global, outdoor society".
"Nevertheless, sunscreens should not be abused in an attempt to increase time in the sun to a maximum," it continued. Tightly woven, thick garments made of denim, wool or polyester are more effective than cotton, linen and acetate clothes. Dry, loose fabric and clothes that had shrunk after washing were better than wet or stretched materials, and bleaching made clothing less protective. Sunscreens had been shown to protect against sunburn and less serious forms of skin cancer, the experts wrote in The Lancet medical journal. However, there was no conclusive proof they prevented potentially deadly melanoma skin cancer. The disease affects more than 8,100 men and women in Britain each year and causes almost 2,000 deaths.
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