Staying Safe in the Sun this Summer
When the sun starts shining and the temperature rises, the barbecues come out, the bikinis are unearthed from the bottom of your wardrobe and an afternoon spent by the lake becomes a daily occurance.
Before you race outside eager to get a tan ready for the summer ball remember these top tips to make sure you get a healthy glow and not painful and damaging burnt skin.
- Fake it! There are so many products on the market now at reasonable prices that there is no reason why anyone should be damaging their skin just to get a golden tan.
If you do go out in the sun make sure you do the following:
- Stay out of the sun when the UV rays are at their strongest, between 11am and 3pm - this is especially important if you have a lot of moles, freckles, fair skin or are prone to burning.
- Wear a broad-brimmed hat to protect your face and wear good quality sunglasses (look for ones which have a UV 400 label).
- Choose a sunscreen which has protected against UVA and UVB rays and is water resistent.
- Wear sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 15.
- Be generous when applying your sunscreen (look for buy one get one free deals if you are worried about the expense).
- Put your sunscreen on 15-30 minutes before you go out in the sun and repeat at least every 2 hours (more often if you are swimming or have rubbed it off).
- Make sure you drink plenty of water to stop dehydration.
- Watch for signs of heat exhaustion - feeling faint, nausea, headache, tiredness, confusion and a rapid heartbeat.
To get advice on staying safe in the sun this summer and how to check your moles for signs of sun damage go to the Cancer Research's SunSmart campaign.