Top Five Sun Safety Tips

Whether you’re heading overseas or staying in the UK for your summer holiday, make sure that you stay safe in the sun. Although for many of us, relaxing on the beach is the perfect way to take a break, not taking sun safety precautions can lead to painful sunburn, heat exhaustion, dehydration and also increase our chances of getting skin cancer.

However, these health problems can be easily avoided if you follow sun safety advice, so here are our top five tips for staying safe in the sun.

1. Don’t spend all your time on the beach. It may be tempting to head straight for the beach on the first day of your holiday, but if you do, don’t spend too long there. Experts believe that you do less damage to your skin if you gradually increase the amount of time that you spend in the sun than you do if you suddenly spend hours sunbathing. It’s also important to stay out of the sun between 11 a.m and 3 p.m, as the sun’s rays are strongest at this time of day. You should also make sure that you take regular breaks by leaving the beach and moving into the shade.

2. Dress appropriately. When you’re out and about in the sun, make sure that you cover up, and wear a hat and sunglasses. If you are spending time at the beach, take some suitable beachwear with you, so that you can wear it over your swimwear when you aren’t in the water.

3. Apply sun cream regularly. It’s important to choose the right sun screen and use it correctly. You need protection from two types of ultraviolet radiation waves emitted by the sun – UVB rays and UVA rays. UVB rays cause skin to burn, and to prevent this, look for a sun screen cream with a Sun Protection Factor (or SPF) of 15 or above. UVA rays cause deeper damage and can age skin prematurely – to protect yourself from the effects of UVA rays, use sun screen which has a star rating of four or five stars.

Apply your sun cream at least 30 minutes before going out into the sun and reapply it every two or three hours. Use a water resistant sun cream and make sure that you reapply it after you have been swimming.

4. Drink plenty. Dehydration can have serious consequences, so when the weather is warm, make sure that you drink plenty of water. Try to avoid drinking alcohol in hot weather as this will dehydrate you.

5. Don’t just think about the sun when you are on the beach. Like sand, snow and water reflect UV rays, so even if you aren’t spending your holiday lying on a beach, you will need to think about sun safety. You can also get sunburnt when the weather is cloudy, so don’t get caught out.

Tags: Sun Safety, Travel Health