Gardening
Sun protection guidelines for all those who enjoy outdoor recreation. The following specific tips and advice have been developed with the help of the Garden Centre Association.
Gardening
- Apply a broad-spectrum SPF30+ product paying special attention to your ears, nose and other areas which are especially sensitive, and prone to burning.
- Once applied to the skin, reapply sunscreen every 2 hours, and less if you are prone to excessive sweating or simply working hard!
- If you find it difficult to reach those tricky places, get someone else to do the honours and follow suit, or simply wear protective clothing.
- Hands are vulnerable to the sun and are a common place for all types of skin cancer, ageing and age spots. Reapply sunscreen after washing hands.
- Most sunscreens have a three-year shelf life, but the more the bottle is opened and closed and handled with grubby hands, the more contamination can enter and hasten degradation.
- Time flies when you are preoccupied, so add a timer on your phone or watch to remind you to reapply sunscreen every few hours, and to seek shade during the hottest part of the day.
- Drink often and preferably with water as this is the best way to hydrate. Keep a reusable bottle topped up and at hand.
- If you are gardening or working in an area which receives full sun, why not put up a makeshift umbrella/parasol, sun tent/gazebo or choose a spot in the shade instead?
- The UV Index scale is a great tool to tell you how quickly sunburn can occur. When the UV index hits 3, use sun protection and watch out for surfaces like sand which can reflect UV light.
- Greenhouses and polytunnels can protect skin against UVB rays which cause burning, however not UVA ray which causes premature ageing, so take the same precautions as if you were gardening outside.
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