HOW much is too much when it comes to sunscreen?

Far more than we think, apparently.

A recent study showed that only a third of women and less than one in ten men use sunscreen and, according to Dr Ossie Morton, clinical dermatologist with Tesco, when we do use it, we use far too little.

Yet 90 per cent of skin cancers occur on the areas of the body most frequently exposed to the sun.

Dr Morton says: "It seems people try to eke out their sunscreens and apply too thinly and too infrequently."

He advises using one walnut-sized portion, squeezed into the palm of the hand, for each area of the body, making a total of 12 portions for each total body application.

This means that, on average, everyone should use around three 200ml bottles on a two-week holiday.

"Even though children have a smaller body surface area, you can't apply too much - especially as around two-thirds of a lifetime's sun damage is suffered in childhood," says Dr Morton.

So, a family of four should pack 12 bottles of sunscreen for a two-week holiday.

If you think that is a lot, Dr Morton points out that it is not always easy to buy the high factor protection products we Brits need in sun-drenched countries where the locals do not require the same level of protection. He says it's better to leave out a few non-essentials than skimp on the sunscreen.