Staying safe in the sun
Being outside and active is part of a healthy lifestyle. Sunlight helps our bodies make vitamin D. This is important for strong bones and teeth, and it reduces the risk of some illnesses.
However, you should protect your skin from too much sunlight. Exposure to ultraviolet light (UV light) from the sun is the main cause of skin cancer.
After cancer treatment, you may need to be extra careful in the sun. Some cancer treatments make your skin more sensitive. Your skin may burn more easily. Or you may have a higher risk of developing skin cancer.
Clothing, shade and suncream
The best protection is to cover up when you are out in the sun. You can protect your skin by wearing the right clothing, staying in the shade and using suncream.
The following tips are useful for everyone. They are particularly important if you:
- have a skin type that burns more easily – all types of skin are at risk of sun damage and skin cancer, but the risk is highest for people who tend to burn rather than tan
- have a weakened immune system
- have had cancer treatments that make your skin more sensitive or that increase your risk of skin cancer
- have had skin cancer
- have had an organ transplant
- take medications that make you more sensitive to sunlight.
In the UK, sun damage to the skin is most likely between 11am and 3pm, between March and October. But sunlight can be strong enough to cause sunburn at other times of the day and year – sometimes even on cloudy days.
The UV forecast is a daily report that can help you understand how strong sunlight is in your area. It is often included in weather forecasts on TV and online. A higher UV index number means stronger sunlight and more risk of sun damage to the skin.
Top tips for sun safety
Clothing, hat and sunglasses
- Wear clothing made of a close-weave fabric. This will give you more protection against the sun. Keep your arms and legs covered by wearing long-sleeved tops and trousers. Wear a wide-brimmed hat to protect your face, neck and ears.
- Wear sunglasses with wide wraparound lenses or wide arms. Sunglasses with the most protection for your eyes have either:
- a CE mark
- the British Standards Institution KitemarkTM
.
- a CE mark
Shade
- Stay in the shade when you can – especially between 11am and 3pm, when the sun is strongest.
- The best protection is to cover up and to stay out of direct sunlight. There is no such thing as a safe suntan.
Suncream, sunscreen or sunblock
- Use a suncream, sunscreen or sunblock with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 50, or at least 30, whenever you are exposed to the sun for a period of time. Follow the instructions on the bottle and re-apply it as recommended. Usually, the instructions say to re-apply every 2 hours, or more often if you have been swimming or exercising.
- Choose a product that protects against ultraviolet A radiation (UVA) and ultraviolet B radiation (UVB) – for example, a suncream with a 4-star UVA rating that is SPF 30 or above.
- Make sure you use enough. About 6 to 8 teaspoons of suncream is enough to cover most adults. For example, use 1 teaspoon for each limb, 1 for the front of your chest, 1 for your back, and 1 for your head and neck.
- Do not use suncream, sunscreen or sunblock instead of covering up or staying in the shade.
Download our infographic: Sun safety [PDF, 2MB]
Checking your skin
If you have any unexplained skin changes, always tell your GP and get them checked. If it is cancer, it is more likely to be cured the earlier it is found. If it is nothing serious, your GP can reassure you.
If you have a higher risk of developing skin cancer, you may already have information about:
- how to check your skin
- how often to check your skin
- symptoms to be aware of.
People who have had a skin cancer in the past are usually given information about checking their skin regularly. We have more information about checking your skin after melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer.
If you are not sure, or you are worried about your risk of skin cancer, ask your GP for advice.
Related pages
Sun safety during and after cancer treatment
During and after some types of cancer treatment, it is especially important to take care of your skin.
Sun safety and chemotherapy
Some chemotherapy drugs may make you more sensitive to the sun. Your skin may burn more easily during treatment and for several months after. Depending on the treatments you have had, you may have a higher risk of developing some types of skin cancer. Your cancer team can give you more information about this.
You can search for information about specific drugs in our treatment and drugs A to Z. Or visit the electronic medicines compendium (emc) to find detailed information about different drugs.
Sun safety and other cancer drugs
Other types of cancer drugs may also make you more sensitive to the sun or increase your risk of developing some types of skin cancer. Your skin may burn more easily during treatment and for several months after. Your cancer team can give you more information about this.
You can search for information about specific drugs in our treatment and drugs A to Z. Or visit the electronic medicines compendium (emc) to find detailed information about different drugs.
Sun safety and radiotherapy
Radiotherapy can cause a skin reaction in the area being treated. If this happens, it usually begins after about 10 days of starting treatment. Skin reactions can take time to improve. They are usually better about 4 weeks after your treatment has finished.
During and after your treatment, you should protect the skin in the treated area from strong sunshine. Longer term, the treated area of skin may be more sensitive and burn more easily. You may also have a higher risk of developing a skin cancer in the treated area.
Your radiographer can give you more information about this. They will give you advice about looking after your skin.
Sun safety after skin cancer treatment
Once you have had a skin cancer, you have a higher risk of developing it again in the same area. This is called a recurrence. You are also more at risk of developing another one somewhere else on your skin.
Your doctor or specialist nurse will explain what the risks are in your situation and give you information about:
- how to check your skin
- how often to check your skin
- symptoms to be aware of.
People who have had a skin cancer in the past are usually given information about checking their skin regularly. We have more information about checking your skin after melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer.
If you have a weakened immune system
Some health conditions and treatments can weaken the immune system. This is the system that protects your body from infection and disease.
If the body’s immune system is weakened over a very long period of time, you may have a higher risk of developing skin cancer. For example, you may have a higher risk of developing skin cancer if you have:
- had a kidney, liver, heart or lung transplant and take drugs that lower your immunity (immunosuppressants)
- HIV or HPV
- some types of blood cancer, such as chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL).
Questions about sun safety after cancer
These are some of the questions people ask us about sun safety after cancer treatment. But if there is something else you want to ask, we are here to help. You can:
- call the Macmillan Support Line free on 0808 808 00 00
- chat to our specialists online
- use our Ask an Expert page to ask one of our experienced professionals a question
- visit our Online Community to connect with people who have been affected by cancer.
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Can I use a sunbed?
Using sunbeds, sunlamps or tanning booths increases your risk of developing skin cancer. These indoor tanning devices use high levels of the same harmful UV radiation found in sunlight. This damages the DNA in your skin. If you prefer to look tanned, use a fake tan.
Indoor tanning devices are not recommended by healthcare professionals except for specific skin conditions where UV therapy can be used as a prescribed treatment. For example, UV therapy is sometimes used to treat skin lymphoma.
Protecting the skin from UV exposure is important for everyone, and it is especially important if you have a higher skin cancer risk. For example, it is especially important if you have a skin type that burns more easily or if you have had a skin cancer already.
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Will a tan protect me from skin cancer?
Getting a suntan does not protect you from developing skin cancer. It may increase your risk of developing skin cancer. If you have black or brown skin, you have a lower risk of skin damage from the sun. But all types of skin are at risk of sun damage and skin cancer. It is important to protect your skin from the sun and tell your GP if you notice any unexplained skin changes.
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Am I getting enough vitamin D?
Regular exposure to a small amount of sunshine helps our bodies make vitamin D. Vitamin D is important for general health. It keeps our bones, teeth, muscles and immune system healthy.
If you are not often outdoors or in the sun, you may have low vitamin D levels. It can get very low in people who avoid the sun completely. If you have black or brown skin, you may also not make enough vitamin D from sunlight in the UK.
Your GP can check your vitamin D levels if there is a risk they are low.
The UK government advises everyone over the age of 4 to take a vitamin D supplement every day during autumn and winter. During these months in the UK, the sun is not strong enough for the body to make vitamin D.
Learn more on the NHS website.
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Can I go on holiday to a hot country?
Many people who have cancer can go on holiday and travel without problems. But there may be extra things to think about as you plan your trip and while you are away. You may find our travel and cancer information helpful.
Wherever you go on holiday, it is always important to protect your skin from the sun. Check the UV forecast, if it is available. Be especially careful if cancer treatment has made your skin more sensitive because you may burn more easily. You may also have a higher risk of overheating and becoming unwell. Always get advice from a health professional before you travel.
About our information
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References
Below is a sample of the sources used in our skin cancer information. If you would like more information about the sources we use, please contact us at informationproductionteam@macmillan.org.uk
Keohane SG, Botting J, Budny PG, et al. British Association of Dermatologists guidelines for the management of people with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma 2020. The British Journal of Dermatology. 2021;184(3): 401–414. Available from www.doi.org/10.1111/bjd.19621 [accessed May 2024].
Nasr I, McGrath EJ, Harwood CA, et al. British Association of Dermatologists guidelines for the management of adults with basal cell carcinoma 2021. The British Journal of Dermatology. 2021;185(5): 899–920. Available from www.doi.org/10.1111/bjd.20524 [accessed May 2024].
Sharma A, Birnie AJ, Bordea C, et al. British Association of Dermatologists guidelines for the management of people with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in situ (Bowen disease) 2022. The British Journal of Dermatology. 2023;188(2): 186–194. Available from: www.doi.org/10.1093/bjd/ljac042 [accessed May 2024].
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Reviewers
This information has been written, revised and edited by Macmillan Cancer Support’s Cancer Information Development team. It has been reviewed by expert medical and health professionals and people living with cancer. It has been approved by Senior Medical Editor, Professor Samra Turajlic, Consultant Medical Oncologist.
With thanks to: Dr Stephanie Arnold, Consultant; Kerry Jane Bate, Advanced Nurse Practitioner; Dr Philippa Closier, Clinical Oncologist; Sharon Cowell-Smith, Macmillan Advanced Nurse Practitioner Skin Cancers; and Dr Benjamin Shum, Medical Oncologist.
Thanks also to the other professionals and people affected by cancer who reviewed this edition, and to those who shared their stories.
Our cancer information has been awarded the PIF TICK. Created by the Patient Information Forum, this quality mark shows we meet PIF’s 10 criteria for trustworthy health information.
The language we use
We want everyone affected by cancer to feel our information is written for them.
We want our information to be as clear as possible. To do this, we try to:
- use plain English
- explain medical words
- use short sentences
- use illustrations to explain text
- structure the information clearly
- make sure important points are clear.
We use gender-inclusive language and talk to our readers as ‘you’ so that everyone feels included. Where clinically necessary we use the terms ‘men’ and ‘women’ or ‘male’ and ‘female’. For example, we do so when talking about parts of the body or mentioning statistics or research about who is affected.
You can read more about how we produce our information here.
Date reviewed
Our cancer information meets the PIF TICK quality mark.
This means it is easy to use, up-to-date and based on the latest evidence. Learn more about how we produce our information.