An important , indeed crucial part of your self health care is ensuring sun protection all year round but especially during the Summer months in the longer, sunnier days even if its cloudy. Even eyes can get burnt if not adequately protected.
Sunburn increases your risk of skin
cancer. Sunburn does not just happen on holiday. You can burn in the UK, even when it's cloudy.
There's no safe or healthy way to get a tan. A tan does not protect your skin from the sun's harmful effects.
We must aim to strike a balance between protecting ourselves from the sun and also getting enough vitamin D from sunlight for
supported bone health.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is important as it helps your body absorb and use calcium, which gives your bones their strength and hardness. However Vitamin D cannot be stored in the body.
There are three ways you can get vitamin D ....
Vitamin D is made in the skin when the
skin is exposed to UV-B rays in sunlight. Only a limited number of foods contain vitamin D, so exposing the skin to sunlight is how we get 70-80% of the vitamin D our body needs. It is optimal to have sun exposure for 5 to 30 minutes a day, most days a week, without sunscreen, as SPF may block the body's ability to absorb the UVB rays to effectively make vitamin D
The best dietary sources of
vitamin D are the flesh of fatty fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel) and fish liver oils. Smaller amounts are found in egg yolks, cheese, and beef liver.
Thirdly Vitamin D supplements can be taken and are widely available. To ensure they get enough vitamin D, all children under 5 years are advised to take Vitamin D supplements. Please speak to your pharmacist.
Sun safety tips
Spend time in the shade when the sun is strongest. In the UK, this is between 11am and 3pm from March to October.
Make sure you:
- spend time in the shade between 11am and 3pm
- never
burn
- cover up with suitable clothing and sunglasses
- take extra care with children
- use at least factor 30 sunscreen
Protect your eyes in the sun
A day at the beach without proper eye protection can cause a temporary but painful burn to the surface of the
eye, similar to sunburn.
Reflected sunlight from snow, sand, concrete and water, and artificial light from sunbeds, is particularly dangerous.
Avoid looking directly at the sun, as this can cause permanent eye damage.
Find Out More>>>>
- SPF's
- Swimming
- Children and sun protection
- Clothing
and Sunglasses
- Dealing with sunburn
