Sun Strength

[shuggee]

Just to get us in the appropriate light-hearted mood, it's worth reporting that today has been a splendid spring's day in Edinburgh. Wall to wall sunshine that felt quite strong.

Now, my personal (unscientific) recollections of acquiring sunburn are - mid April 1993 in a pub beer garden in Manchester (around 11 weeks before the summer solstice) and Friday 5th October 2007 on a canal boat in Wigan (some 15 weeks after the 'mid summer' date).

As we are now only some 16 weeks before 21st June 2009, it's very close to that time of year when it is possible to get a suntan. Wonderful.

I'm wondering if anyone has some links/graphs/charts that show this seasonal change and its affect on white pasty skin - and when we should start being careful? Anyone else got some notably early or late memories of acquiring a red neck and arms?

[cheeky_monkey]

i would very often catch the sun playing football from late march onwards on a sunny saturday afternoon...nothing spectacular but noticable all the same...dont recollect catching the sun after mid september though.

[I remember Atlantic 252]

mid feb sun gains strength quickly thats why snow from mid feb is useless, i caught sun on 13th may last year a real good summers day, and for once missed my usual north sea misty low cloud, May is classed as a spring month but under good clear high pressures may is definitely summer

that spell in May 08 was summery than the 'summer', i was stinging though on the tuesday evening and the wednesday

summers day 2008

[Somerset Squall]

mid feb sun gains strength quickly thats why snow from mid feb is useless,

I beg to differ. Depends on the setup, what the soil temp is etc. Crewkerne, a town near here, had 6 inches of lying snow last thursday which persisted all day, even in the strong sun of thursday daytime itself.

I'd say snow after the beginning of April is useless if you want it to settle (there may be exceptions!).

[SP1986]

Personally if I do get sunburnt it's after May, and it's usually by the coast/sea. I don't really get sunburnt too often and tend to brown off quite easily. I try to avoid the sun though if I can except in Spring when it does feel lovely.

I have light olive skin so tend to be spared sunburn but I still wouldn't take too many chances on a strong summers day.

I have Skin type 4 I think, whilst most have skin type 3 in the UK, which would suggest that burn problem can start at UV index of 4. In my case, it usually takes prolonged exposure (3 hours or more) at UV 5-6) and an hour at UV 7 or 8 to get me burnt. In sub tropical climates/mediterranean climates in my experience with UV of 9-11 it can take 15-30 minutes for my skin to burn.

I think you should take notice of your skin type and match it to UV charts, its great helper in dealing with sun protection.

I agree though the sun felt very pleasant today, although warmth from sun doesn't necessarily mean a high UV level (ive had very warm sun and mild winters day for example even though the UV is 0-1. Today the UV was probably about 1-2 here.

[mettalfabrik]

maybe 6\7 years ago now ,but i remember going to the easter superbike round at thruxton race circuit,it was a sunny day with a fairly strong breeze so felt quite cool,when i got home i found i was very red ,a builder mate of mine commented on my appearance saying that it was,nt sunburn but what he called windburn common among outdoor workers outside the summer months,anybody else familiar with this term?

[Andy Bown]

a builder mate of mine commented on my appearance saying that it was,nt sunburn but what he called windburn common among outdoor workers outside the summer months,anybody else familiar with this term?

Not familiar with that term, but friends comment on the appearance of my skin, especially my face, saying that I seem to have 'caught the sun' - a few did so about a month ago when we had plenty of sunny, albeit cold, days.

[Hiya]

April 1993

I got sunburnt in late March 2005 when out all day in the Trossachs. Evil sun.

[Mondy]

You get wind burn through sailing..

[damianslaw]

I sunburn very easy especially when out walking in the hills exposed to the sun - been caught out on many an occasions in May and September - even in March if out long enough in the sun in the hills I quite easily come back with a red glow, but normally takes until April and a particularly warm spell i.e. April 2007 for me to burn, but certainly by May.

[Bottesford]

I'm rarely burnt as I keep out of it when that tingly feeling on your skin goes on for long enough. Felt that 'tingle' feeling on my skin the other day in the midday sun - it's that I associate with UV light (rightly or wrongly!). A little bit of it is lovely and is available anytime between March and Sept although more noticable early in the season after sun starvation for so long beforehand.

I'm just glad we're moving into the seasons dominated by sun, light & warmth instead of seasons dominated by dark, cold & a feeling of being trapped.

[littlemissy]

I remember as a child in the 70's i caught the sun in March playing in the park.Last year (I work in a school) I caught the sun on my neck.

I live in Somerset.

[Nick L]

Caught the sun playing football in April a few times, but I burn easily and don't tan.

[Yeti]

Lol, I've never had sun burn in this country - I just turn chocolate!

[J07]

I managed to burn once in the UK, June 2006 sat outside at noon for breakfast and a beer (the decadence of studenthood). I think 3 hours later my chest was a disturbing red colour!

...still a lovely day though!

I have Skin type 4 I think, whilst most have skin type 3 in the UK, which would suggest that burn problem can start at UV index of 4. In my case, it usually takes prolonged exposure (3 hours or more) at UV 5-6) and an hour at UV 7 or 8 to get me burnt. In sub tropical climates/mediterranean climates in my experience with UV of 9-11 it can take 15-30 minutes for my skin to burn.

What would happen if you were exposed to UV indices of 13 or 14?

I think you should take notice of your skin type and match it to UV charts, its great helper in dealing with sun protection.

Yes exactly. Most people (I would hope) figure out their type of skin (whether they know their "number" or not) at some point in their lives. The trick is to make that point as painless as possible!

Personally I avoid sunblock because I will miss a bit, pretty much without fail, and then it's essentially all for nothing. Just start naturally tanning from about mid August onwards, take it easy and try to build it up slowly. I think it's much safer that way and more natural. Even though a tan is skin damage, it does hold off burning, so I don't subscribe to the view that "there's no such thing as a safe tan" - for me it helps delay much more dangerous damage.

Having said that, despite all my precautions the only two times I burned this summer were in February, when all my "preparations" were supposed to help! One of these times was through a thick layer of cirrostratus, with a halo around the sun.

In conclusion the only guaranteed way to avoid burning is to not strip off, or stay out of the sun. (Personally I think both are too boring, hence my attempts at prevention....)

[Norrance]

I have had facial sunburn in March [maybe even late Feb]whilst skiing in Scotland on several occasions.

On lower ground I have noticed sunburn on my arms and face in early April while playing golf.

My skin is quite sensitive though, even though I am dark haired and not fair skinned.

[shuggee]

Lol, I've never had sun burn in this country - I just turn chocolate!

Don't you melt?!

Worth clarifying that the early October sun tan I mention in the opening post of the thread was as a result of being out in the sun from 8.30am to 6pm on a crystal clear day, navigating the 20-odd locks on the Leeds-Liverpool through Wigan. Most unusual.

[Cookie]

suntan?

might be a while yet for me.

[shuggee]

Well, indeed Cookie. Our northern lattitude up here really adversley effects the opportunities available to catch one. I'd say late April to early August in central/northern Scotland are the boundaries of possibility. I never cease to notice the good old pale scottish skin that borders on having a 'blue' tinge up here - such is the lack of high UV instances.

[Nick F]

I'm wondering if anyone has some links/graphs/charts that show this seasonal change and its affect on white pasty skin - and when we should start being careful? Anyone else got some notably early or late memories of acquiring a red neck and arms?

I caught the sun as early as early-mid March, in 2002 I think was, when there was an early burst of warmth in the south at least. I think from now on that anyone outdoors for any lenghty time should where sun protection - especially those working outdoors - even if it does feel chilly still.

[Cookie]

Well, indeed Cookie. Our northern lattitude up here really adversley effects the opportunities available to catch one. I'd say late April to early August in central/northern Scotland are the boundaries of possibility. I never cease to notice the good old pale scottish skin that borders on having a 'blue' tinge up here - such is the lack of high UV instances.

agreed. In the 4 years up here I can't remember getting sun burnt. but then again I've never tryed to either. Im sure the same old debate will come again this year as what we class in scotland as being hot Luther down south would be classed as mild.

[NorthernRab]

I've never got sunburn in Scotland in my life (unless I had it as a young child) because of my background. However, my friends have started to burn from as early as March on a nice day (that celtic skin does not fair well on a warm day).

Rock Ness music festival in early June should really be known for the amazing sun burn that everyone gets...

agreed. In the 4 years up here I can't remember getting sun burnt. but then again I've never tryed to either. Im sure the same old debate will come again this year as what we class in scotland as being hot Luther down south would be classed as mild.

In fairness people should really be careful in the Highlands, sometimes temperatures can get up to close to 30'C and with those very long summer days compared to England, the sun is in the sky for longer. If you were to walk around during the Highland's warmest day of summer without lotion you'd probably get quite a nasty bit of sunburn.

[I can't believe it's not better]

I heard on the radio yesterday (Steve Wright Factoid) that the ozone layer is only 3mm thick! That can't be right I thought. So, I've just looked it up and infact:

"The average thickness of the ozone layer is about 50 km but if compressed by sea-level pressures, it would be only a few centimeters thick. The Dobson Unit (DU) is a scale for measuring the total amount of ozone occupying a column of air. One DU is defined as 0.01 mm thickness at zero degrees Celsius and one atmosphere. If the ozone layer over the US were subjected to 0 °C and 1 atmosphere it would end up being 3 mm thick or 300 DU".

http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2000/ChoTan.shtml

Now I question the worth of my Steve Wright's Amazing but true book.

[Cookie]

I've never got sunburn in Scotland in my life (unless I had it as a young child) because of my background. However, my friends have started to burn from as early as March on a nice day (that celtic skin does not fair well on a warm day).

Rock Ness music festival in early June should really be known for the amazing sun burn that everyone gets...

In fairness people should really be careful in the Highlands, sometimes temperatures can get up to close to 30'C and with those very long summer days compared to England, the sun is in the sky for longer. If you were to walk around during the Highland's warmest day of summer without lotion you'd probably get quite a nasty bit of sunburn.

here on the islands, in the past 4 summers I have been up here only 1 day did we even get close to 30C it was 27C.

[MP-R]

I think the earliest I have shown remote signs of catching the sun was on a walk on 4th April 2007. It was still a bit chilly but the skies were clear and there was a brisk wind. I also managed to pick a little bit up during the warmer spell in the second half of last September - must have been the 20th-21st. With no wind and completely clear sky, working out in the garden was a pleasure.