Louise Thomas-Minns is a skin specialist and therapist

Q. I am 40 years old, I like the sun and getting a tan during the summer months. What is the best way to treat/protect my skin so that I can get a tan but safely?

A. Us Brits just love the sun and do have this ongoing obsession with being brown, almost to a competitive level when we jet off to sunny climbs that we must have a better tan than our friends on our return.

I am going to start the answer to this question by saying that yes we do need levels of UV to stay healthy since the sun is our best source of Vitamin D production (vital for bone health and for boosting our immune systems which is probably why in the winter months we are more susceptible to colds and flu).
However we only need 15-20 minutes of sun exposure 3-4 times a week to achieve this level and therefore there is no need or excuse for baking ourselves until we resemble a lobster to achieve this.

A Tanned skin is a damaged skin since the ironic fact that we go brown, is your skin desperately trying to protect the lower layers from damage.

UVA is present 365 days of the year and since UVA causes 90% of the ageing process of our skin (lines, wrinkles, pigmentation, dryness, saggy/baggy skin) it makes sense to protect everyday if you want to stay looking younger for longer.

The more important and pressing issue is, of course, skin cancer.
One study, from the cancer research UK website, estimated that at least 100,000 cases are diagnosed each year.

Below are my top five tips for staying safe and younger when the sun does shine down on us.

• Protect you skin everyday with an environmental shield. As a skin therapist I love and recommend to my clients the MD Formulations total protector SPF 30 which at £15.00 (www.u-treatments.co.uk) gives you the best and broadest protection against UVA and UVB and is endorsed by the skin cancer foundation.
• Avoid sun exposure between the hours of 12 noon and 3pm when the sun is at its strongest and wear a hat and sunglasses to optimise your protection.
• Use skincare products that contain anti oxidants. Ingredients that fall into this category are Vit A, C and E, Green Tea, Super oxide dismutase and Lycopene. UV creates free radicals within the body which are the ‘thieves of youth’ and lead to precancerous changes. Anti oxidants mop up these highly destructive molecules and slow down skin damage.
• Use a self tanning product. There are some very good quality products available now which are easy to apply and that give you a healthy yet safe tan. Always exfoliate the skin first to remove dead skin and I suggest applying these products a couple of hours before bed so when you wake your tan will be developed.
• Don’t use sunbeds!! These are a dangerous way of achieving a tan since they can become addictive and can be 3 times as strong as the sun exposure experienced in the Mediterranean. Do not be lured into thinking that this is a good way of ‘preparing’ your skin for your summer holiday which is something I hear all the time.

Louise Thomas-Minns CIBTAC CIDESCO BABTAC is a skin specialist and therapist with over 12 year’s experience. She is the owner of U Treatments, a beauty business that brings the salon to you and is about to launch a London skin clinic. She lecturers in, and is an NVQ assessor part time, in beauty therapy.
Her specialism in the skin and ingredient technology requires her to be a regular guest on Radio Norfolk and write for some national periodicals.
Visit www.u-treatments.co.uk or call Louise on 07810 872 633 for details of her bespoke treatment menu.