sun bathing

[Professor_Brian_Diffey]

It's very difficult to give a precise answer as it depends on many factors such as the time of day you start sunbathing, the month and where you are, whether there is any shade nearby or its cloudy, whether you've applied sunscreen, and how sensitive your skin is to sun exposure. The important thing about sunbathing is to avoid sunburn so one way of knowing whether you've overdone it is to look at your skin on the evening of the day you've sunbathed. If it's gone pink or red then I'm afraid you've been sunbathing for too long.

As a simple guide, you're unlikely to get sunburnt if you sunbathe for 15 minutes. Depending on the factors I mentioned above, you may well be able to sunbathe for longer without getting sunburnt.

[Professor_Brian_Diffey]

You are right to avoid active sunbathing, where you lie in direct sunlight with much of your skin exposed. However, there is no need to avoid being outdoors, not least because some sun exposure is necessary for vitamin D production. Being upright rather than lying flat reduces your sun exposure and limiting the sites exposed to say the face, arms and legs will reduce the risk of skin cancer compared with exposing your back and tummy as well. But remember, do make every effort to avoid getting sunburnt.