Millions of us could be putting our lives at risk by not applying sunscreen properly, experts have warned.

专家警告说，数百万英国人因为涂抹防晒霜的方法不当而对自己的生命构成了威胁。

An online poll from the British Association of Dermatologists¹ (BAD) revealed eight out of 10 Brits don't apply sunscreen before going out in the sun. What's more, 70% of us aren't reapplying the protection every two hours.

英国皮肤科医学会开展的一项在线调查揭示，80%的英国人在艳阳天出门前不会涂抹防晒霜。而且，70%的人不会每隔两小时补涂一次防晒霜。

The findings follow last weekend's heatwave and skin experts say we should be more careful to check we're protected before sunning ourselves.

这项调查结果发布前，上周末英国刚经历了一场热浪天气。皮肤专家说，我们在日晒之前应该更谨慎地确认自己是否做好了防晒工作。

“Applying liberally half an hour before going out into the sun, and then again shortly after going outside, is vital to ensure that you are fully covered and that the sunscreen has had time to be absorbed into the skin," said BAD's Johnathon Major.

英国皮肤科医学会的乔纳森•马杰说：“在日晒之前半小时大量地涂抹防晒霜，然后在出门后不久再涂一次防晒霜，这可以确保你被防晒霜全面覆盖，而且皮肤也有时间去吸收防晒霜。

"It should then be reapplied at least every two hours, as the protective filters can break down over time.

“然后至少每隔两小时就要补涂一次防晒霜。因为防晒霜在皮肤上形成的保护层随着时间流逝会逐渐被分解掉。

"It should also be reapplied after any activity where it might be accidentally removed, such as swimming. Water-resistant sunscreens are not friction-resistant, and therefore they can be accidentally removed if you towel dry after swimming or sweating."

“在有可能将防晒霜不小心擦掉的活动之后也应该进行补涂，比如游泳。防水防晒霜并不抗摩擦，所以在你游完泳或流汗后用毛巾擦身子的时候防晒霜可能在无意间被擦掉。

As well as bringing us a scorcher of a weekend, this week is also Sun Awareness² Week - and the reason for the online poll that questioned 215 people.

本周不但会有一个炎热的周末，本周还是“阳光关注周”，这也是该机构为何要开展这项涵盖了215人的在线调查的原因。

Other potentially bad habits also came to light as 35 percent of people surveyed would only seek shade if they were hot, rather than to avoid burning.

调查还暴露了其他一些潜在的坏习惯，比如35%的受访者在天热的时候只会去寻找遮阳处，而不会采取措施防止晒伤。

Although getting a tan looks great, prolonged exposure can increase the risk of developing melanoma - the deadliest form of skin cancer.

尽管古铜色的皮肤看起来很棒，但是长时间暴露在日光下会增加患黑色素瘤的风险，这是最致命的一种皮肤癌。

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the UK and rates have been climbing since the 1960s.

皮肤癌是英国常见的一种癌症，自上世纪60年代以来皮肤癌的发病率就一直在上升。

Every year over 250,000 new cases of non-melanoma skin cancer – the most common type – are diagnosed, in addition to over 13,000 new cases of melanoma, resulting in around 2,148 deaths annually³.

在英国，每年新增超1.3万黑色素瘤病例，导致约2148人死亡，此外每年还有超25万例非黑色素瘤皮肤癌（最常见的皮肤癌）新增病例被确诊。

"While we have succeeded in making people aware of the link between sunburn and skin cancer, we have more work to do in teaching people how to use sunscreen properly," said Mr. Major.

马杰先生说：“尽管我们成功地让人们意识到了晒伤和皮肤癌之间的关联，但是在教会人们如何正确地使用防晒霜方面，我们依然任重而道远。”