Since the launch of books like Treasure Island and movies such as Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Goonies, X has marked the spot to find gold, jewels and even, the Ark of the Covenant. Now, SPOTMYUV is giving this phrase new meaning with a twist.
The letter X has been replaced with an O, a circular sticker to be exact, that you adhere to your skin. What it marks is your sunscreen’s efficacy, like if you’ve got enough SPF on or if you need to reapply. Making the treasure, in this case, your skin’s health.
Invented by three super-smart Canadian, University of Waterloo Nanotechnology Engineer grads Andrew Martinko, Chad Sweeting and Derek Jouppi, the sunscreen spotter’s M.O. is to help you prevent your skin from burning from the sun’s harsh UVA and UVB rays. All you have to do is slap one of the stickers onto a hairless and sun exposed body part, apply your favourite sunscreen from head to toe, wait for 60 seconds and then check to make sure the spot is a clear colour (which means it’s working), and head outdoors. After that, simply periodically check the spot, because when it turns purple it is time to reapply your SPF.
Considering Statistics Canada says that only 30 to 40 per cent of adults actually wear sunscreen and the Canadian Skin Cancer Foundation states that more than 80,000 cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year, sticking on a SPOTMYUV is a pretty smart way to go.
SPOTMYUV 6 SPOT, 12 SPOT, 20 SPOT or 36 SPOT Packs, from $9.49 to $29.99 each, available online at www.spotmyuv.ca.
