While everyone, it seems, loves a sunny day, not all of us are aware of the potential dangers that over-exposure to the sun can present.

Sunlight contains ultraviolet (UV) rays that can cause damage to the skin, and the range of effects is more dramatic than many of us realise. While we joke about identifying British on foreign beaches by their lobster red skin on arrival, exposure to UV can cause premature skin ageing and eye damage, as well as sunburn. More seriously, UV exposure is also a factor in the likelihood of developing skin cancer - the most common form of cancer in the UK.

While some types of skin cancer are usually found only in the elderly, as a result of a lifetime's exposure to sunlight, malignant melanoma is associated with frequent sun exposure. Bear in mind too that, contrary to popular opinion, there is more than enough sunlight in the UK to cause potential problems. The depletion of the ozone layer has already resulted in a doubling of levels of UV radiation, and this will continue to rise in coming years until measures to reduce the levels of CFC released into the atmosphere begin to take effect.

It's therefore more important than ever to make sure that you are protecting yourselves and your loved ones from the potential damage of UV radiation. Most of us do not apply sunscreen lotions either frequently or evenly enough to offer real protection. And protecting children is particularly important: children who suffer sunburn are more likely to develop skin cancer in later life.

How BookaTEST can help?
At BookaTEST we recognise that many people are simply not sufficiently aware of the dangers that sun exposure can bring, or do not know when a dangerous level of exposure has been reached.

Our sun monitor patches provide a foolproof answer - by changing colour in response to UV radiation, they provide an 'at a glance' indication that more sunblock should be applied, or that the acceptable safe level for sun exposure for a single day has been reached.