You’d never head out for a match without your racket, trainers or your water bottle. Sunscreen deserves exactly the same status, especially once you’re spending two hours on an outdoor court rather than twenty minutes walking the dog.
Why Outdoor Sport Is a Bigger UV Risk Than You’d Think
In the UK, the sun is strong enough to damage skin from mid-March right through to mid-October and over 90% of UV rays can pass straight through cloud cover. That means the overcast Saturday morning padel session you assumed was ‘safe’ can still be doing damage, particularly during a match where you’re outside for an hour or more without thinking about it.
Cancer Research UK figures show that almost 9 in 10 skin cancer cases in the UK are caused by over exposure to UV from the sun or sunbeds and getting sunburnt just once every two years is enough to triple your risk of developing skin cancer compared to never burning at all. For anyone playing outdoor sport regularly, that’s a repeated exposure most of us aren’t taking into consideration.
Sport adds its own complications too. Sweat and constant movement mean sunscreen wears off faster than it would if you were sitting still, while the parts of the body most exposed during sport – the face, neck, ears, shoulders and scalp are the areas people forget to cover properly. Research with athletes consistently find a gap between knowing thatsunscreen matters and actually using it; one study of professional athletes found that only around a quarter said they used it regularly, despite almost all of them agreeing it helps prevent skin cancer.
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Sunscreen for sport isn’t optional extra admin. It’s as much a part of your kit as your shoes, your water and your racket, and it takes about thirty seconds to put on.
Why We Rate Ultrasun
We’ve used Ultrasun for years, long before any thoughts sharing with you how amazing it is for using whilst playing sport. We rate itsimply because it’s one of the few sun protection brands that actually holds up when playing sport rather than just sitting on a sun lounger. For us, it is one of the few brands which doesn’t react with sensitive skin – especially delicate skin prone to eczema.
- It’s genuinely kind to sensitive skin. No greasy residue, no stinging in the eyes when you sweat, no breakouts after a long match in the heat.
- It doesn’t sit on top of the skin the way a lot of high-SPF sun creams do, which matters when you’re gripping a racket or wiping sweat from your face mid-rally.
- It has a dedicated sports range built specifically for water and sweat resistance during exercise, rather than a beach formula repurposed for active use.
- The Face & Scalp Mist SPF50 solves a problem most sun creams ignore entirely: partings and scalps and thinking hair which burn just as easily as anywhere else but are rarely protected.
None of this is about chasing the most expensive option on the shelf. It’s about a brand that’s reliably worked for us, session after session, without the faff that puts people off using sunscreen for sport in the first place.
| Ultrasun Product | Best For |
|---|---|
| Sports Spray SPF50 | Quick, one-handed application before a match. Water and sweat resistant, designed for active outdoor use |
| Sports Spray SPF50 | Long matches or full days outdoors. Fast-absorbing and built for high-performance, sweat-heavy activity |
| UF Face & Scalp Mist SPF50 | Long matches or full days outdoors. Fast-absorbing and built for high-performance, sweat-heavy activity |
| Face SPF50+ | Long matches or full days outdoors. Fast-absorbing and built for high-performance, sweat-heavy activity |
Getting the Basics Right – Whatever You Use
The brand matters less than the habit. Whatever sunscreen ends up in your kit bag, Cancer Research UK‘s guidance is consistent and worth following on every outdoor session, not just obvious sunny days.
- Use at least SPF30 with a 4 or 5 star UVA rating, broad spectrum where possible.
- Apply generously around fifteen minutes before you head out, not as you’re walking onto the court.
- Reapply after sweating heavily or towelling down, that’s exactly when sport-specific sunscreen earns its keep.
- Don’t forget the parts sport actually exposes: back of the neck, ears, scalp and shoulders.
- Pair sunscreen with shade and cover, a cap, a collared top or playing earlier or later in the day when the sun allows it.
None of this requires you to overhaul your routine. It’s the same thirty seconds you already spend retying your laces, just redirected somewhere that protects you for the next twenty years, not just the next twenty minutes.
TLG TIP
WORTH TRYING THIS WEEK. Keep a sports spray or gel in your kit bag permanently, not in a cupboard at home, so it’s there before every single outdoor session without you having to remember to pack it.
Why This Sits at the Heart of The Longer Game
Padel, cycling, golf, walking, swimming, almost everything in our Sport & Fitness Life Area happens outdoors and that’s the whole point. Getting active again in midlife should add years to your life, not quietly take a few away through sun damage that builds up unnoticed over decades. Protecting your skin isn’t separate from getting fitter after 40, it’s part of doing it properly.
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KEEP PLAYING. If outdoor sport is new to you again, grab the free Beginner’s Guide to Padel in the UK for everything on courts, kit and rules and make sunscreen the first thing that goes in your bag.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do I really need sunscreen on a cloudy day?
Yes. Over 90% of UV rays pass through cloud cover, so a grey, overcast day can still cause sunburn and skin damage during an outdoor match. Sunscreen is worth applying on any day you’replaying sport outside, not just on obviously sunny ones.
Q: What SPF should I use for outdoor sport?
Cancer Research UK recommends at least SPF 30 with a 4 or 5 star UVA rating for general protection, though many people playing sport for an hour or more prefer SPF50 for extra margin, particularly on the face and scalp where burning happens fastest.
Q: Why does my scalp burn even though I have hair?
Thinning hair, partings and hairlines are some of the most commonly missed areas during sun protection, and they burn just as easily as any other exposed skin. A dedicated spray formula, such as Ultrasun’s Face & Scalp Mist SPF50, is designed specifically to be misted into the scalp and hairline without leaving residue.
Q: How often should I reapply sunscreen during a match?
As a general rule, reapply after heavy sweating or towelling down and at least every two hours during prolonged sun exposure. Sport speeds up how quickly sunscreen wears off compared to sitting still, so erring on the side of reapplying more often is the safer habit.
Q: Is it worth using a sports-specific sunscreen instead of a regular one?
It can make a real difference to whether you actually use it consistently. Sports formulas are built to resist sweat and water and to apply quickly without leaving a greasy film, which removes most of the common excuses for skipping sunscreen before a match.
Ready to Play? The Longer Game is Here to Help
Padel is having its moment and it deserves it. We genuinely believe it’s one of the best sporting decisions any 40-something can make right now: affordable, accessible, wildly social and something you’ll still be playing in your 70s if you start today.
At The Longer Game, we’re building the most useful, honest and experience-led content for people getting into padel for the first time. That means:
- Equipment guides that don’t assume you have a limitless budget
- Court and club reviews from actual 40+ players – we love to hear from fellow players
- Community content from people who started exactly where you are
Explore our padel content hub, browse our recommended starter kit and most importantly – get yourself on a court. The best time to start was last year. The second-best time is right now.
The Longer Game Team