Staying Safe & being Savvy in the Summer Sun

 via pinterest.com

Hello loves! How was your weekend? Decadent, enriching, inspiring, hectic, relaxing?

I managed to escape for the second time this year to the beach - you'd think with the amazing weather we've been having since early May that I'd have hit the beach more often right? It's only half an hour drive to reach the coast...Well, as much as I love being by the sea and going for long swims, I can honestly say it is far too hot & I'm no longer interested in working up a tan... cue gasp - shock horreur! Over the past few years, I have found sunbathing a little.... boring (unless I have a seriously good read), gimme a bit of beach V-ball action any day. Admittedly, ten years ago my outlook on sunbathing was somewhat very differently from now.

via mypinkcloud.tumblr.com

I'm pretty sure many of you are familar with the sun safety drill, know a fair bit about protecting your skin, lathering on sun cream and staying in the shade when the sun is at it's peak, but what do you guys really know about sun exposure, heat stroke or long term effects of sun exposure such as melanoma (deadly form of skin cancer) & premature aging of the skin? (I'm picturing Cameron Diaz' neighbour with the leather skin from There's Something about Mary... judder!)

A little vitamin D is good for you but there are dire & serious consequences when you've soaked up just a little too much sun, even when you have applied a generous amount of sun cream (and forgotten to reapply two hours later) and i'm not talking about short term repercussions of immediate sunburn either. 

via here

Sorry guys, not trying to freak you out here, just want you guys to be savvy and safe in the  sun. This weekend I remembered this one time and note, I was pretty good at being a sun worshipper, what with my olive skin... Even with factor 30 sun cream (which I'd applied a good hour before heading to the beach), an hour under the blazing sun, I totally weirded out a few hours later. 

As in verging on heat exhaustion/heat stroke, I was non-stop thirsty (even though I drank water throughout the day), irritable even though I felt completely shattered & I felt so damn hot (no sunburn either but my body temperature was off the charts). I drank a lot of water along with sports drinks (to replace lost electrolytes) & tried to rest, which helped, but I felt completely rubbish. 
If you're spending hours under the sun, be aware of the following symptoms:

Dizziness, nausea, dehydration, increased heart rate/breathing rate, vomiting and muscle cramps.

via here.

At this time of the year magazines and online blogs are in abundance of sun protection cream features, which sunscreen lotion is the best etc, and you have probably read them all, but how many of you actually comply with sun safety at all? 
Here's one a wake-up call read from Marie Claire magazine: "What I learned from Melanoma, experiencing skin cancer".
Sun exposure or none at all, keep an eye on your moles each month ideally to see if there are any changes. If you are fair skinned, have lots of freckles, or moles or even have absolutely no idea what the heck I'm talking about please visit this article about melanoma screenings, examining moles & abnormal mole images here via Cancer Research UK.

I also love this brilliant read from Glamour: "Still Tanning? 6 sunscreen mistakes 
leaving you vulnerable to skin cancer".

Sun Safety knowlege - A few facts: 

• "One in ten (Brits) believed that the sun in the UK isn't as strong as it is in more tropical climes and 20% of the public think you can’t catch the sun through glass." - DOH! - Yup, doesn't matter where you are, it's worth investing in a day cream with an spf of 15 minimum.
• "The poll of 1,500 women revealed that 22% do not wear creams to protect them from UV rays when they are abroad, as they do not think they sunburn, that it’s too expensive or that it doesn’t work.
• And worringly, almost half thought using after-sun would reverse some of the damage done to their skin by the sun. Eeeek!" Un-be-lievable!!! - via Cosmopolitan UK
• "An estimated 8,600 people in the U.S. died from melanoma last year"  - Totalbeauty.com
• You can still burn even though it's a cloudy day on the beach, don't underestimate the power of UVA rays, they'll penetrate through a glass of water loves!

So lovelies, enjoy the summer, but be safe and protect your hair & eyes too!
Oh and please for the love fo God, go easy on the booze - balance those yummy cocktails out with a glass of water in between! 

Sun Protection sources: boots.com