Do not miss your eyelids when you apply sunscreen, otherwise you risk skin cancer, warn academics

We all know the dangers of excess sun – but a study has shown that we may not protect our eyelids.

The researchers discovered that there were often missing vulnerable areas of the skin, especially when applying moisturizers with a sun protection factor (SPF), unlike conventional sunscreens. .

This could leave people at risk for skin cancer, warned University of Liverpool academics.

Skin cancer is on the rise despite global initiatives to increase the use of SPF.

The researchers found that he often lacked vulnerable areas of the skin – especially when applying moisturizers with Sun Protection Factor (SPF), unlike conventional sunscreens.

Although daytime moisturizers with added SPF are convenient, researchers feared that they would not be applied to provide "sufficient protection".

They studied how 84 people – 62 women and 22 men – had applied both moisturizer and sunscreen before using an ultraviolet-sensitive camera to take pictures of volunteers and thus show great part of their face.

Seventeen percent of the face was forgotten with SPF moisturizer, compared with 11% with sunscreen.

Around the eyelids – which are thin and more prone to cancer – 21% of the area has not been treated with SPF moisturizer, while 14% has not been protected by sunscreen .

This was particularly worrisome, as skin cancers most often develop on the head and neck, with the eyelids having the highest incidence of the disease, the researchers wrote.

Squamous cell carcinoma – the second most common form of skin cancer in the UK – is also affecting patients' eyelids more and more.

This could leave people at risk for skin cancer, University of Liverpool academics warned

Participants completed a questionnaire about their sunscreen application habits and SPF moisturizer, most of them unaware that they had not completely covered the face, revealed the study of the journal PLOS One.

The authors said: "When applying sunscreen and a moisturizer, the area around the eyes is often forgotten, especially near the nose. Participants covered a smaller area of ​​the face when using a moisturizer compared to sunscreen. We conclude that one should pay special attention to the eyelid area when applying an SPF cream. & # 39;

Some 78% of participants did not manage to protect the area between the corner of their eyes and their noses, as they apply sunscreen or moisturizer. Sunglasses with UV filters can help protect missing areas, experts said.