HOLIDAY HEALTH

THIS week: Put your sun cream on before you fly

MOST people know to slather on suncream for the beach, but how about for the flight?

Some experts say you should apply it before you get on the plane — especially if you have a window seat. That’s because UVA rays (which increase the risk of potentially deadly melanoma) can penetrate even the thick glass on commercial aircraft.

The risks also increase during flying because as the plane climbs, there is less of the Earth’s atmosphere to filter out harmful rays.

Most commercial flights cruise at altitudes of up to 40,000ft and UVA exposure increases by 10 per cent for every 3,200ft that we climb.

‘Flight attendants and pilots have twice the lifetime risk of skin cancer,’ says Dr Justine Hextall, a consultant dermatologist at the Tarrant Street Clinic in Arundel, West Sussex.

Take a travel-sized sun cream in your hand luggage and apply it before take-off, she says.