How to look after your skin in the sun

Everyone loves to catch a lovely golden tan when the sun comes out, or when on holiday. But it’s really important to tan safely, as the sun can be extremely damaging to our skin. 

Fun Fact: Peeling as a result of sun burn is due to damaged cells committing mass suicide. 

Here we’ve listed our three top tips for achieving a golden tan safely:

1. Always avoid sunbeds

Sunbeds give out the wrong UV to achieve a healthy tan – tanning beds pump out huge amounts of UVA and virtually no UVB (which stimulates vitamin D), and can increase your risk of skin cancer by 75%.

1. Seek some shade

Don’t sit out all day, make sure you take regular breaks as taking breaks reduces your risk of sunburn and means your tan will be healthier and longer lasting. 

1. Apply the right Sun cream

Don’t just rely on SPF. Keep a look out for the UVA logo on the bottle and the term ‘high’, this means that the sun cream offers a high UVA protection. 

Also, when using higher factors, make sure you don’t fall into a false sense of security. Sun cream must be re-applied every few hours in order to maintain an adequate level of protection.

Our top tips for picking the best sun cream for you:

1. When buying sun cream, the label should have :

• A sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 to protect against UBV
• At least four star UVA protection

1. Make sure the sun cream is not past its expiry date. Most sun creams have a shelf life of two to three years, so be sure to check the dates on your old sun creams before using them. 

1. If you have fair skin, its important to use a high factor sun cream, such as factor 50. However, it is also important that the UVA rating is high and that you apply the sun cream every few hours.

1. If you have darker skin, it is also important to apply sun cream even if you don’t burn. Even though your skin may not burn in the sun, it is still important that your skin is protected from the strong rays of the sun. We recommend a factor of at least 15 to protect the skin. 

It is important to remember all of these tips when spending time in the sun or buying sun cream. Everyone is keen to get out in the sun after spending all winter in the rain, yet it is so important to protect your skin from the harmful rays of the sun. following our top tips will help you to give your skin an adequate protection from the strength of the sun.