Staying sunsafe

We have all made the mistake of bathing in the warmth of the sun at the beach or outside and then the next day coming out looking like a broiled lobster.

This summer, I certainly learnt some things about staying safe in the sun.

It is a hot day, the sun is shining and I have been working in an office all day. First place I go? The beach!  I grab my towel, my swimmers, my flip-flops and race on down to Glenelg (well, not really, the tram doesn't go that fast).

By the time the sun sets, I am exhausted, swum out and ready to head home, only after the obligatory gelato stop though. But by the next morning, my cheeks are stinging, my arms are flaming hot and I have a bad headache. Sunburn. 

The speed of a burn always amazes me and I often make up excuses like, "I never tan, I just went for a swim and it was cloudy!" But surprisingly, "Swimmers are subject to the UV both reflected off the water and from above, and 40% of the sun’s UV can penetrate water up to a depth of 50cm so good sun protection is essential." You can read some more about some of these sun exposure facts at SunSmart as well.

Now, I am no stranger to getting sunburnt, having grown up in the tropics of North Queensland. And that is definitely not a good thing! According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, "your risk of developing potentially deadly melanoma DOUBLES with a history of 5 or more sunburns." 

I think it is easy to forget that every time you get burnt you are adding to the damage - it doesn't just disappear with the physical burn. 

When it comes to treating the pain of the sunburn, my personal remedy is having a COLD shower as soon as possible, applying a cold pack and waiting for the heat to dissipate before applying aloe vera gel. If you don't wait for the heat to dissipate, much like a regular burn, the damage will continue to happen and be worsened by the layer of gel you put on - it acts sort of like a greenhouse, keeping the heat trapped!

Scary stats aside, there is nothing worse than the temporary pain of a sunburn and the knowledge that you have damaged your skin, hastened the ageing process and put yourself at risk unnecessarily. Needless to say, for the rest of my summer, my beach bag has had SPF50+ sun lotion, a broad brimmed hat, and sunnies permanently packed.

P.s. Check out the table on the SunSmart website which details UV ratings and what they mean for you!