Slip, slop, slap for sunburn protection

Writer & Photographer: Elaine Davie.

Like South Africans, Australians are sun worshippers – the more of it the better. Unfortunately, too much fun in the sun is not good for our skins and may result in severe health consequences in the long term. Which is why we would do well to adopt the Australian sun protection slogan, Slip Slop Slap – slip into protective clothing, slop on lots of sunscreen lotion and slap on a widebrimmed hat.

Although there is a growing awareness of the dangers associated with over-exposure to harmful UV rays, some people still seem to have an illogical obsession with tanning, while there are others, like farmers or game rangers, whose occupation holds an inherent health hazard.

As dermatologist Dr Lizmaré Brönn points out, according to the Fitzpatrick categorisation, there are six distinct skin types, each of which responds to a varying degree to over-exposure to the sun.

Click below to read more. (The full article can be found on page 25)