Greater Manchester's sunny spell is about to get even hotter, with a heatwave forecast from this weekend. Temperatures of up to 29C are expected from Saturday, June 10 until Thursday, June 15, according to the latest weather predictions.
While it'll be bright and balmy, it won't be dry the whole time. Showers and thunderstorms are forecast for Saturday, with a yellow weather warning issued for Greater Manchester among other parts of the UK.
The warm temperatures will be welcomed by those heading to Parklife at Heaton Park, The Weeknd at the Etihad Stadium and Soccer Aid at Old Trafford this weekend. Whether you're out and about, or enjoying the weather from your back garden, it's vital to protect yourself from the sun.
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Too much of it can be dangerous and can cause heat exhaustion and heat stroke, which could be fatal. And not only is sun cream painful, but it also increases the chances of skin cancer.
There are a number of ways to keep yourself safe during the heatwave - from regularly applying sun cream, to staying in the shade. Cult Beauty teamed up with Dr Deborah Lee from Dr Fox Pharmacy to share some top tips.
Firstly. she recommends using sun cream with a minimum SPF factor 30, anti-UVB protection and a UVA star rating of 4-5 stars. If you have fair skin or burn easily you should use sun cream with an SPF 50 factor. For swimming, choose a water-resistant option.
Dr Lee explained: "Sun cream is a much better option than tanning oil which concentrates UV rays and increases the risk of sunburn and damaged skin. Getting sunburnt once every two years triples your risk of being diagnosed with skin cancer, melanoma, as compared to someone who has not been burnt."
You should apply around two teaspoons of sun scream to each area you are covering, according to Dr Lee.
This includes:
- Face and neck – two teaspoons
- Arms – two teaspoons, one teaspoon for each arm
- Legs – two teaspoons, one teaspoon for each leg
- Chest and stomach – two teaspoons
- Back and shoulders – two teaspoons
There are many uncertainties when it comes to how to apply SPF the right way, but by following these simple tips you won’t go wrong. Before you do anything, shake your sunscreen bottle. This will help break up any clumping that occurs over time.
Then use the three-finger rule when applying it to the face. Gently tap the formula all over your face, ears, and neck rather than just rubbing it all on to avoid irritation and to ensure a smoother application.
When applying to your body, smear small evenly sized dots over all areas exposed to the sun. Gently massage the sunscreen in, until you can’t see it anymore. Don't forget those sneaky spots that are easy to miss, like the neck and the back of your hands and feet.
If you are heading out to have fun in the sun, allow the formula to soak into your skin for at least 15 minutes before heading outdoors. Meanwhile, the NHS recommends re-applying sun cream every two hours.
Dr Lee also issued the following advice to keep safe and cool while enjoying the sun.
Respect the sun
You only need 15 minutes of sunlight a day to make vitamin D and for darker skin this can increased to 30 minutes. But after this, the sun is not giving you any health benefits.
If you overdo your time in the sun, you are likely to end up with sunburn and heat exhaustion/heat stroke. All of these are serious conditions – and heat stroke can be fatal.
Respect the sun by keeping out of direct sunlight between 11am and 3pm in the summer, as per the NHS advice. Sit in the shade, under a parasol, or stay indoors.
Keep cool
Do all you can to keep cool - including sitting in the shade and wearing loose and light-coloured clothes. Cover your legs and arms, wear a wide-brimmed hat, tie your hair up and drink plenty of cool drinks.
You could also sprinkle yourself with cold water regularly, and put a cold compress on your forehead, and take cool baths and showers. If it’s too hot, go inside away from the sun and lie down in a cool place.
Drink more water
When the sun is out, we should all be drinking at least 3 litres of water per day. Avoid fizzy or sugary drinks in hot sunshine. The sun causes plastics to break down in plastic bottles and chemicals can leach into the drinks. Plus, sugary drinks can worsen dehydration.
Look out for symptoms and signs of dehydration, these include feeling thirsty, a dry mouth, sunken eyes, not peeing often, headaches and feeling unwell. But it’s too late by the time these symptoms have occurred – you need to drink plenty to avoid these symptoms from coming on.
Protect your eyes
If you wear a hat with a wide brim or a baseball cap this will shield your eyes from 50% of the sun rays. If you wear glasses, these should have a glass with a UV filter. Sunglasses block UV rays from entering the eyes, but make sure these have a CE mark to show they meet European standards.
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