talkhealth forums

Posted on behalf of our guest visitor, Joanna:

I am going on holiday next month and I would really like to be able to get a tan, is there any safe way to spend time in the sun, get a tan, and still protect my skin?

I would say with all the information available there isn't a safe way to tan. As someone who sunbathed to the point of blisters in the 70s and 80s and even into the 90s, I would say don't do it! Protect your skin with the highest factor available and don't purposefully sit in the sun. You still get a tan walking around in it, so protect and don't spend too long just sitting, seek shade if you must sit out!

Hi,

Unfortunately the latest guidelines from National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) state that there is no such thing as a safe tan.

However, we all need to get the sun on our skin for up to 15 minutes daily to ensure we produce enough vitamin D - which is difficult to get from food alone. Always cover up or apply sun screen after that amount of time.

Eating foods rich in lycopene - e.g. tomatoes, pink grapefruits and water melons can also help protect your skin from sun damage - though you would still need to cover up/wear sunscreen after a few minutes of sun exposure. Cooked tomatoes provide lycopene in its most easily absorbed form - tomato paste is a particularly rich source. Lycopene is also more easily absorbed when eaten with some type of fat - e.g. from olive oil/cheese - which makes a great excuse for eating pasta or pizza (a whole wheat base & vegetable/seafood toppings are healthiest) as they often contain all three ingredients.

If you still really want a tan you could always go for a fake tan - there are plenty of natural looking ones on the market.