The sunburn factor

With many Brits forgetting daily sun protection and putting their skin at risk of long-term damage, it could be time to step up your SPF game

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It's important to look after your skin all year round but in the summer, it's even more vital to stay on top of your skincare.

However, almost half of the UK population (45 per cent) do not apply sunscreen with a suitable sun protection factor (SPF) on most days, putting them at risk of skin damage.

Dr Susan Mayou, co-founder and consultant dermatologist at Cadogan Clinic (cadoganclinic.com), explained: "What frequently happens is we get a burst of unexpected UV and people are caught unaware, or maybe it's not that hot but it's quite high UV. In the UK, this happens generally from about April and May onward. People don't realise that they need to be really good about their sun protection."

A recent survey by The British Skin Foundation revealed that 51 per cent of Brits have experienced accidental sunburn. As well as not being prepared for high UV levels, not remembering to apply SPF to all exposed areas of skin is another contributing factor.

"People often forget they should put SPF on areas like the V of their chest," said Dr Mayou. "They remember their face but they'll be out doing something and forget there are other areas of the body they should have covered.