Avoid harsh sun or risk major harm, says expert

The arrival of warm weather and the stir of sunsmart messages that comes with it has brought a flood of extra patients to the doors of dermatology clinics in the Western Bay.
Paul Salmon, of The Skin Centre, said bookings began growing steadily at the start of the month, then surged in the wake of a sunny Labour Weekend.
"It's that time of year - as soon as we get days over 20C it's typical to get more people coming in," Dr Salmon said.
"When the weather gets warmer people take off their jackets and jeans and they start seeing things on their bodies they hadn't noticed before."
Dr Salmon said while most of the spots patients worried about were found to be harmless, it was common to find others elsewhere on their body that needed serious attention.
That was often the case in patients aged over 40, although clients at the centre ranged in age from teenagers to the elderly.
The effects of the sun in the Western Bay were so severe that he recommended people cover up to the extent of long-sleeved shirts and trousers.
"There's a good reason for it - an incidence report published recently found Bay of Plenty had one of the highest incidence rates of skin cancer in the world.
"People need to be suspicious about what's happening to their skin here. The sun is as strong now as it is in the middle of summer in the Northern Hemisphere."
Those whose genetic stock was more suited to European conditions were especially at risk.
While most dermatologists at The Skin Centre were booked up for months - Dr Salmon's own caseload stretches six months ahead - slots were kept for urgent appointments.
"Although I've been a dermatologist here in the Bay for the last 15 years and have a regular clientele, I've always retained urgent spaces in my slots."
Julia Wilson, of the Cancer Society's Waikato and Bay of Plenty Division, said New Zealand had one of the highest rates of skin cancer but more than 90 per cent of skin cancers could be avoided by being safe in the sun.
"The best thing you can do to reduce your risk of skin cancer is to be sun-smart during summer months from 11am-4pm; slip on a shirt and into some shade, slap on a wide-brimmed or legionnaire-style hat, slop on some SPF30+ broad spectrum sunscreen and wrap on some sunglasses, she said.
"There is strong evidence that excessive sun exposure during childhood and adolescence is a risk factor for developing skin cancer later in life, so it's very important parents and guardians keep children safe in the sun and teach them SunSmart habits.
"In our region we're very lucky to have beautiful surroundings and beaches to enjoy, and many people living in Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty live a very active and outdoor lifestyle - they just need to make sure they do so without putting their health at risk."
HOW TO BE SUNSMART
If you've been careless in the sun and received an unwelcome shade of pink as a result, the discomfort of sunburn can be relieved in different ways.
These include dabbing the burns with a cold, damp cloth, having cool baths, using aloe vera lotions and moisturisers or taking painkillers.
However, sunburn is better prevented than treated. The New Zealand Dermatological Society recommends:
- Avoid sun exposure, especially between 10am to 2pm.
- Wear protective clothing, including wide-brimmed hats.
- Regularly apply sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 30+.
An oral food supplement containing polypodium leucotomas may provide additional oral photoprotection and reduce sunburn.
If you are inadvertently exposed and expect to be sunburned you may lessen the severity of the burn by taking two aspirin immediately and then two every four hours, or applying a topical steroid to exposed areas twice daily for two or three days.