Out to lunch? Don't forget the sun cream
When you're cooped up in an office all day, eating lunch outdoors is just to tempting to resist. Yet, even in the UK, the sun is powerful enough to permanently damage your skin, causing premature ageing and, potentially, cancer.
A recent survey found that the average office worker eats outdoors 3 to 4 days a week when the weather is warm, although just 1 in 10 will slap on the sun cream. Thinking it's all right as you're only out for a short time would be a mistake - the sun is at its strongest between 1am and 3pm. And if, like 1 in 6 workers who took part in the study, you've suffered sunburn in the past, your skin is more vulnerable to UV rays. In northern towns this figure jumps to 1 in 4, no doubt because people here see so little sun they tend to make the most of it whenever it appears. Scotland and Wales have the highest number of sun-lovers with up to a third grabbing every lunchtime opportunity to top up their tans between shifts..
Unfortunately, over half of people surveyed wrongly assume that British sun is weaker than abroad and rarely worry about the long-term effects on their skin. Without protection, however, they are putting themselves serious danger, according to Jeremy Sutton, head of health insurance at Tesco. "It only takes on serious burn to potentially have lasting consequences when it comes to your skin."
There's nothing nicer than escaping from your desk to stretch your legs when the sun is shining. But with nearly 10,500 malignant melanomas diagnosed in Britain every year resulting in 2,000 deaths, it pays to play it safe and slap on the Factor 30!