To everyone’s delight, the beautiful sunny days are making a comeback step by step. But WARNING, it is essential to protect your skin from the harmful effects of the sun. Indeed the sun is responsible:

• skin ageing (UVA rays),
• sunburn (UVB rays),
• allergies (UVA rays), also known as “solar lucitis”. They are manifested by the appearance of small red buds that itch. This allergy is usually most visible on the décolleté, upper back, forearms and legs (places most exposed to the sun). It can decrease or, on the contrary, worsen from year to year. In case of flare-ups, the doctor or pharmacist may prescribe/advise you to take an antihistamine and/or a lotion/cream/calming spray in local use. If the rashes are too large, it is advisable to take preventive treatment to limit these appearances. In both cases a sunscreen index 50 is highly recommended.

Sun exposure associated with certain medications can also cause sun allergies, a phenomenon called “photoallergia”. Your doctor or pharmacist will notify you of this possible reaction when prescribing/dispensing affected medications. In this case, exposure to the sun should be strictly avoided.

Here’s a list of tips to follow when exposure to the sun:

• Avoid direct sun between 12pm and 4pm, as these are the hours richest in hot rays (UVB)
• Do not exceed one hour of sunbathing per day.
• Always protect yourself with a hat/cap, UV T-shirt, sunglasses,…
• Wipe off after each swim, as water droplets reflect the rays and promote sunburn.
• Apply sunscreen before each sun exposure, renew the application every two hours and after each swim.