Tennis Australia has appointed La Roche-Posay as the official sunscreen partner of the Australian Open 2019.
Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2019, the Open is expected to attract a crowd of more than 700,000 across 14 days of tennis, with live music, food and various activities on offer around the grounds.
January in Melbourne represents a very high risk of harm from unprotected sun exposure and, aside from wearing hats and UV-blocking sunglasses, it is recommended that spectators at the Open apply a broad spectrum SPF 50+ sunscreen every two hours, even when conditions are cloudy.
Dermatologist Professor Pablo Fernandez-Peñas says the risk of melanoma increases with each additional sunburn and could double when someone suffers sunburn more than five times, adding that Australians are being sunburnt due to incidental and accidental sun exposure.
“We have found that over 60 per cent of [surveyed] Australians experienced sunburn within the last year and sunscreen application is crucial when people are outdoors or behind transparent surfaces such as windscreens and windows”, he said.
Professor Fernandez-Peñas says not all sunscreens are equal and they can differ in their technology which impacts user acceptability and the level of protection they offer.
As the official Australian Open 2019 sunscreen partner, La Roche-Posay’s Anthelios SPF 50+ sun protection range will be distributed at a new, four-level ‘player pod’ at the tournament, showcasing “luxurious spaces for training, treatment, recovery, dining and lounging”.
Tennis fans will also have the opportunity to protect their skin and access complimentary Anthelios samples via five satellite ‘sunscreen stations’ around the Melbourne Park precinct. Sunscreens from the Anthelios range will also be available for sale at the Open’s official onsite shop.
