Sun safety & coping with sunburn

Many experts these days believe a little sun on your skin is good for your health. That's because we need the vitamin D that our skin produces when it comes into contact with sunlight. But quite how much time you should spend in the sun without sun protection will depend on how quickly your skin tends to go red and burn. For some people, that could be as little as 10 minutes.

For the rest of the time, using a sunscreen product - even in this country - is essential if you want to protect yourself against the damage that can lead to skin cancer.

Here are some sunscreen dos and don'ts that should be uppermost in your mind during the summer months (and also in the winter if you go skiing or somewhere hot for a winter holiday):

DO know which sun protection factor (SPF) is best for your skin type - for many people, that should be a minimum of SPF15 on a mild day and SPF30 when the sun is strong (ask your pharmacist to suggest which product would be best for your skin type).

DON'T forget to protect your eyes. If it's a sunny day, wear sunglasses that have 100 percent UV protection.

DO apply sunscreen 30 minutes before going out into the sun to allow the ingredients to settle into the skin.

DON'T use any less than an ounce of sunscreen each time you apply it (that's about the amount that would fill a shot glass).

DO keep reapplying sunscreen every two hours if you're constantly in the sun - if you're on the beach, for instance.

DON'T forget to apply more sunscreen after swimming or exercising.

DO use a higher SPF on your face, especially if you want to avoid wrinkles (and use a lip balm with sun protection too).

DON'T be fooled into thinking that light summer clothes will protect you from the sun - only clothes that are made of tightly woven fabrics shield your skin against UV rays, so always use sunscreen under your clothes if you're going out into strong sunlight.

DO wear a hat to protect your head and your face (and if it has a wide brim it could also protect your neck and shoulders).

Coping with sunburn

In an ideal world everyone would follow sun safety advice to the letter and never get sunburned. But even the best intentioned of us can get caught out if we're unlucky.

If your skin gets sunburned it will look pink or red and feel hot and tender to the touch. It may even become swollen, and blisters could form. Then after a few days it could start to peel. It's not a pleasant experience, to say the least.

If it happens to you, ask your pharmacist for an anti-inflammatory painkiller, such as aspirin or ibuprofen (make sure to tell your pharmacist who the medicine is for, as aspirin should not be given to children or teenagers).

The painkiller's anti-inflammatory properties may help reduce redness and soreness. Meanwhile applying a cold compress to the area affected, or taking a cool bath or shower, could help reduce the temperature in the skin.

Your pharmacist can also recommend a soothing after-sun lotion or an aloe-vera lotion to help moisturise your skin. This is important to use, especially while your skin is peeling, to keep your skin from drying out too much.

While you have sunburn, make sure you drink lots of water to counteract the fluid being lost through your skin. And if any blisters form, don't burst them. If they burst on their own, ask your pharmacist to recommend a suitable antibacterial cream to treat them.

• If your sunburn covers a large part of your body, is accompanied by a high temperature, pain or nausea, or doesn't improve within a few days, see your GP immediately.