Firestyle Magazine Issue 4 - Summer 2016 | Page 56

HEALTH here comes the sun How to have fun in the sun without feeling the burn: Hello my dear firefighting friends. Well, the summer is here (kind of!) and it’s the time of year when a lot of us want a tan. I’m sure we all agree that a golden tan looks wonderful. People look healthier, happier, slimmer and more attractive with a suntan. And yet the fact remains: tanned skin is damaged skin. A tan is your skins way of protecting itself from the harmful effects of the sun. If you have naturally pale skin, burn easily, have freckles and red hair then you’ll need to be particularly careful in the sun: that’s me folks!! Yet, if you have a darker skin tone, tan easily and rarely burn then perhaps you can have a more relaxed approach to sun protection. The key here is to work with your skin type. The sun has got its hat on hip, hip, hooray! Sunshine lifts the mood, boosts energy levels and sunshine stimulates the production of vitamin D which is vital for health and well-being. Vitamin D helps to co