Newsroom

2017 Aug 25

Summer skin health tips

As a country we love the sun. When it comes out our beaches and parks are packed with people laying down towels and having picnics!

How do you enjoy the sun safely? Our skin is the body’s largest organ so it’s important we look after it with great care as we would our brain, heart or lungs.

As humans, we actually need the sun to function properly. Our body creates vitamin D from direct sunlight on our skin. Vitamin D is essential for healthy bones and helps our body to absorb the right amount of calcium and phosphate from our diet for healthy teeth and muscles as well.

Our skin is also vulnerable to the sun. Most of us have experienced the damage and pain of sunburn, caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light, either from natural sunlight or artificial sources like sunbeds. Overexposure to UV light is the main cause for skin cancers, but, for the most part, serious consequences are avoidable if you take some simple steps to look after your skin:

• Spend time in the shade between 11.00am and 3.00pm, when the sun is hottest
• Keep well hydrated with water
• Make sure you use adequate sunscreen; minimum SPF 15. SPFs are rated on a scale of 2-50+ based on the level of protection they offer. Sunscreens should also be at least four-star UVA protection rated (UVA protection is indicated by the letters ‘UVA’ in a circle, which indicates that it meets the EU standard.)
• Make sure your sunscreen is in date. Most sunscreens have a shelf life of two to three years.
• Use enough sunscreen. As a guide, adults should apply around two teaspoons of sunscreen to cover their head, arms and neck, and two tablespoons to cover their entire body while wearing a swimming costume.
• Sunscreens don’t offer 100% protection so use hats and sunglasses as well.

Visit www.cancerresearchuk.org for more info, or NHS Choices website for handy tips.

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