Be smart in the sun
Sun care
It is important to use sun cream when spending time in the sun, to stop our skin from getting burnt. Sunburned skin is bright red, is very sore to touch and feels hot. If you have bad sunburn, you might even get blisters on your skin.
Too much time in the sun can also lead to sunstroke – this is when your body overheats and you feel sick and dizzy.
To safely spend time in the sun you can:
- Reapply sun cream every two hours. Ask someone to help you put your sun cream on to make sure that you don’t miss tricky areas like your back. Don’t forget your ears and toes too!
- Wear a sun hat and sunglasses at all times – this will protect your head and eyes (and help you look super cool!)
- Don’t spend all day playing in the sun – even if you have sun cream, a sun hat and sunglasses on, you need some time cooling down in the shade or indoors. Especially when the sun is at its hottest in the middle of the day.
Top tip: to stop yourself getting sunburnt, get a grownup to help you put on SPF 30 or above sun cream at least 20 minutes before you go out in the sun. For more information, head over to the NHS website.
You can still get sunburnt even on a cloudy day! Vitamin D
We need vitamin D to keep our bones and our teeth strong. We make vitamin D when our skin is exposed to the sun – but only for a short amount of time! It’s not known exactly how long you need to be in the sun for though to meet your body’s requirements.
You should be able to make enough vitamin D from being out in the sun daily for a short period of time with your arms, hands or lower legs uncovered and without sunscreen between March and September.
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