How hot has it been lately! I’m not complaining though. As the warm weather in the UK is going to continue, I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to talk about sun care and safety.

Who doesn’t love a bit of sun? I like to have a bit of colour, especially in my face. I think I look healthier and I generally feel better about myself. It’s often easy to overlook what damage the sun can do to you though. It’s may appear to be a cloudy day but the rays can still get to you. We’ve all been there. You sit out in the sun for a lovely drink or you walk along to the shops and then you feel the discomfort that evening. You get a telling off by your partner but they look like Peter Schmeichel too. If you do get burnt, give Soleve Sunburn Relief a try. Soleve Sunburn Relief is the only licensed over the counter medicine of its kind which combines the pain killing power of ibuprofen with a soothing moisturiser to hydrate the skin. Soleve Sunburn Relief lotion is for mild to moderate sunburn in adults and children over 12 years of age. Always try to avoid sunburn. Soleve is not a sunscreen. Always read the label. The intention of this post though, is to not get to that sun burn stage!

Mild to moderate sunburn has short-term pain and discomfort and exposing yourself to too much sun, may increase your risk of skin cancer later in life. The NHS recommend we have our skin protected between March and October in the UK.

Application

This may seem obvious to some of you but you should apply sun cream all over! The key areas are:

• Head and neck
• Shoulders and arms
• Torso (front and back)
• Legs (front and back)

Pay extra attention to areas such as ears, chest, shoulders and nose. I always sun cream my nose and it still ends up red! These areas are nearly always in direct sunlight. If you are bald or you have fine hair, don’t forget to make sure your head is protected.

Every sun cream product is different so how much you use, is really up to you. We opt to be quite generous when applying sun cream as at the end of the day, it’s a barrier between you and the sun. For a guide on sun protection factor (SPF), we generally use 30 as a family. The SPF determines how much ultraviolet (UV) gets through to your skin. We all like a tan but treat it like weight loss – a little bit at a time. We apply sun cream before leaving the house and then every couple of hours after that. Check the back of your sun cream product though as it may be different for you. And remember to keep Soleve Sunburn Relief with your travel essentials.

Sun Safety

I always look for regular shade throughout the day. The sun is at it’s strongest between the hours of 11am and 3pm. So if you’re planning a run or something similar, I’d opt for either early morning or evening.

Take extra care to protect the back of your neck and shoulders. I was once in Florida and burnt my shoulders really bad, to the point where I still have scars. It was extremely painful and I use this experience as a constant reminder to protect my two little ones. Obviously another option is for them to wear a loose fitting t-shirt and make sure the sun cream is waterproof.

Baseball caps or anything with a wide brim will help protect your kids face and consider sunglasses too.

Sunlight offers a great source of vitamin D, essential for healthy bones. We all love a bit of sun so to continue enjoying it, make sure you’ve creamed up and are ready to go.

Keep Soleve Sunburn Relief on hand just in case you do get caught out.

*Disclaimer: This was a collaborative post with Soleve Sunburn Relief. All words and opinions are my own.