How to tan safely

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Repeated exposure to too much sun over a number of years can cause damage to skin. The effects of sun damage include premature skin ageing and wrinkling, brown spots, non-cancerous (benign) warty growths on the skin (actinic keratoses), and skin cancer.

For that reason it is important to stay in the shade or indoors as much as possible between 11 am and 3 pm, specially in the summer months

Everytime you go tanning with your friends you should apply sunscreen of at least sun protection factor (SPF) 15 (or SPF 30 for people with pale skin) which also has high UVA protection. Although SPF 15 sunscreen should be sufficient for adults who don't have pale skin as long as it is applied adequately, some authorities recommend that factor 30 sunscreen should be used for everyone. This is because much less cream is often applied than is recommended by the manufacturers.

Be sure to cover areas which are sometimes missed, such as the lips, ears, around the eyes, neck, scalp (particularly if you are bald or have thinning hair), backs of hands and tops of feet.

Apply sunscreen 20-30 minutes before going out into the sun (it takes a short time to soak into the skin and to work).
Re-apply frequently, at least every two hours, and always after swimming, towelling yourself dry or excessive sweating (even those that are labelled waterproof).
Apply enough sunscreen to cover the skin that will be exposed. For most people this is the equivalent of two teaspoons of cream for the head, neck and arms. For the whole body while wearing a swimming suit, this would be around two tablespoons.

Artificial tanning from sun-ray lamps and sunbeds is just as damaging as sunshine - so avoid them. Studies have shown that sunbed use can make you much more likely to get all types of skin cancer.

Fake tan from a bottle is safer than a natural tan because no sun exposure is required. Remember that fake tan is not a sunscreen, and, if you plan to go out in the sun, you will need to apply another product. Some fake tans are bronzers that simply stain the skin and can be washed off. Other products contain a chemical that reacts with the skin to give a tanned colour. The long-term effects of these chemicals are not yet known. However, they seem to be safer than tanning in the sun or under a sunbed.

Vitamin D is vital for good health. Vitamin D is made in the skin with the help of sunlight. Sunlight is actually the main source of vitamin D, as there is very little found in the foods that we eat.

This means that to be healthy you need a certain amount of sun exposure. It is estimated that, to prevent deficiency of vitamin D, we need 2-3 sun exposures per week in the summer months (April to September). Each exposure should last 20-30 minutes and be to bare arms and face.

I know that sunlight tends to improve our general well-being and make us happier. It does this by causing us to produce more of a "happy hormone" called serotonin. Physical activities and exercise outdoors are good for us, and we need to balance that against our wish to avoid skin damage and skin cancer. The way to balance the good and bad effects of the sun is to enjoy the sun safely. This means using all the tips above.