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Gardens > Skin CareSkin-care for garden-time Okay, so I’m not what you would call an avid gardener. What I lack for in gardening enthusiasm however is more than made up for by my girlfriend who gets positively giddy at the thought of pottering around the garden in the sunshine. Unfortunately for her, she only has to think ‘sunshine’ and she assumes this rosy – well red actually, bright red in fact – glow. Is it the UK thing? If you’re about to garden in Gainsborough or potter in Perth do you get into the same sunscreen mindset as you do if you’re about to amble in Athens or mooch in Malaga? Unfortunately not. But even in our less than temperate climes the sun can do damage to our skin – and an exceptional heatwave shouldn’t be the only reason why we reach for the sunscreen. According to Cancer Research UK skin cancer, including non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) and malignant melanoma, is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK. Although malignant melanoma makes up less than 10% of skin cancer cases, it is responsible for 80% of skin cancer deaths but most skin cancers are preventable. 80% of melanomas are caused by exposure to sunlight – UV radiation from the sun (and from artificial sources like sun-beds and tanning lamps) causes all forms of skin cancer. So why aren’t we protecting ourselves more? Lack of awareness and not-so-good-old-fashioned denial seem to be the main culprits. Although we are getting generally more sun-savvy we still rarely  equate working in the garden, for example, as a risky business. We Brits also have a tendency towards denial in British weather terms – it’s Britain for goodness sake, not the Med! Getting booted and suited AND slapping on the sunscreen just doesn’t equate in our dull-weather-weary minds – not unless (as previously mentioned) we find ourselves sizzling in an exceptional heatwave. And let’s face it we feel – and look – better with a bit of colour. It is probably going to take years for the culture change to seep its way into the collective psyche of the UK but in the meantime there are already tools available to us that will help kick-start the process. The World Health Organisation has come up with the UV index – a way of describing the strength of the suns rays. The higher the value – there is a maximum of 10 – the greater the danger from the sun, and the less time it takes to do damage to your skin. You can check out the UV index forecast for the UK here. To give you an idea of levels though on 25 July 2006 the forecast in the UK midlands was for a temperature of 30°C - the corresponding UV index was 6. It sometimes reaches 7 in the UK and during the period from October-March usually floats around the 3 mark. Not so bad, you might think – not that close to 10. But combine the UV index with your skin type and that will give you a quick indication of whether or not you ought to be protecting your skin. There are 6 skin types:
(Source: Cancer Research UK) So, know your skin type, cross reference it with the UV index for the day and hey presto – you can work out your burn risk:
And what do the burn risks mean?
For those of you like my girlfriend some top tips for summer gardening:
First published: August 06 |
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