Now the weather is getting warmer, it’s important that we know how to stay safe in the sun! Read my facts and top tips to make sure you enjoy the sun safely:
Why is it important to stay safe?
UV (Ultra Violet) rays travel deep into the skin and damage the cells. These cells have a risk of being cancercous. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, with 100,000 people (in 2010) diagnosed with it.
Unfortunately, you can’t feel the UV rays damaging your skin, so it is very misleading to think that it is not doing any harm. In fact, IT IS. It even happens when the sun doesn’t feel hot.
Sunburn and why it is bad
Sunburn causes the top layers of our skin to release chemicals. Skin turns red, feeling hot and painful with severe sunburn leading to more serious symptoms, such as swelling and blisters.
If you have fair skin or red hair your melanin levels will be low so you are more likely to sunburn. This is also the case with babies and young children, so they need to be covered up very well.
Who else is at risk?
- If you have a lot of moles or freckles
- If you have family with a history of skin cancer
So watch out for these as well!
Treating sunburn
Ways to treat sunburn are:
- Applying cold water over the burnt area
- Moisturising the skin
- Aloe Vera – can help soothe the skin
- Calamine lotion – can help any itching or soreness
- Pain killers – will help reduce inflammation and ease pain
In more severe cases of sunburn, you SHOULD contact your GP as soon as possible.
Other important things to remember:
Always use sun cream with an SPF of 15 or higher; the higher factor you wear the better it will be protecting you from the sun.
Summer sun is the most damaging at mid-day, so it is advised that you stay in the shade between 11am-3pm.
Sunscreens should be reapplied after you’ve been in water.
Even if it is windy or cloudy – you can STILL get sun burnt!
Have fun in the sun but stay safe!
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/travelhealth/Pages/SunsafetyQA.aspxhttp://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/skin/Pages/Sunsafe.aspxhttp://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sunburn/pages/introduction.aspxhttp://sunsmart.org.uk/