Beauty Report: This free patch will screen your sun exposure

Irish people have a strange relationship with the sun. Because it’s rare, we don’t give it much thought. When it appears in a clear blue sky for a few days each year, we fling our semi-clad bodies into it with abandon. In short, far from being sun smart, some of us are sun stupid.

In a survey of 1,000 Irish people conducted last April, eight out of 10 respondents said that they did worry about the risks of skin cancer when exposed to the sun, but only two in five actually wore sunscreen during the summer months at home in Ireland.

Non-melanoma skin cancer is the most common cancer in Ireland for both men and women, and is also one of the more preventable cancers.

Given these skin cancer rates, our collective belief that we don’t need to worry about the sun for any more than a few days each summer is evidently wrong. We need to be more aware of our skin and the damage sun exposure can do, and anything that can keep us aware is a good thing. That’s why I’m so enthusiastic about a new and entirely free patch that you can wear to monitor sun exposure.

As I was going about my daily business during the very good weather last month, several people noticed a little blue heart on the back of my hand, and asked what it was. I answered that it was an innovative design by Irish company PCH for one of my favourite skincare brands, La Roche-Posay.

My UV Patch is a small, flexible patch that can be worn on the back of the hand or on any other continually exposed area of skin.

It measures about an inch in area, and is super-thin, about half the thickness of the average strand of hair.

When the patch becomes publicly available in July, you’ll be able to upload an image of it to the accompanying La Roche-Posay My UV Patch mobile app. The app will tailor readings to your skin tone and hair colour, and assess your risk factor in the sun. It will remind you to top up on sun cream, and tell you when your skin is in danger of being damaged.

The patch is particularly good for applying to children, who are never enthusiastic about sun care.

Rather than you having to worry about when to top them up, the patch can let you know when to spray them with sun protection factor (a spray SPF is always easier to apply to small, wriggling people than cream).

The patches will be available free in Ireland from July from selected dermatologists and GPs, and the Irish Cancer Society will be giving some away at various events. They are also available if you register your interest online now at laroche-posay.ie

The beauty industry can be prone to vapidity, but once in a while it gives life to excellent initiatives such as this one, which can make a real difference.

Vichy Idéal Soleil After-Sun In-Shower (€19):

If the sun happens to get the better of you despite your efforts, you can avoid or minimise (if you’ve taken a burning) the dreaded peel effect with a good after-sun lotion. It won’t undo the damage, but it certainly will soothe the skin and help to keep it in good condition. In turn this will minimise the flakiness and general horror. This one is excellent, and ideal for lazy people like me. Wash in the shower with your normal bodywash and rinse as normal, then apply this and give yourself a light rinse. You can also apply it to dry skin.

La Mer – The Bronzing Powder (€70):

With all the sun sense you’ll no doubt now be exhibiting, you might want something to mimic the golden glow that the sun gives naturally to some people. If you’re too smart to bake yourself, that glow can still be achieved by unadulterated deceit. What better way to fake it than with a bronzing powder so beautiful that you’ll gasp at the very sight of it? With no garish sparkle and containing tones to suit all skins, it doubles as eyeshadow and even blush, making it worth investing in.