DERMATOLOGIST Sam Gibbs dropped into Swindon College to paint students a picture of what excessive sun can do to their skin.

Dr Gibbs, a consultant at Great Western Hospital, was teaching youngsters about the benefits of sunlight, as well as the many risks, during his visit.

“Basically, there is no such thing as a healthy tan,” he said. “It’s a contradiction in terms. If you have a tan, your skin is sun damaged.”

While being exposed to the sun has psychological benefits and helps soak up healthy vitamin D, too much can lead to long-term skin damage and cancers.

Most skin cancers are caused by damage from ultraviolet rays given off by the sun. If too many of these rays penetrate your skin, you may get sunburn, which can double the risk of developing skin cancer later in life.

Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers among teenagers and young people, and the number of people developing it is growing.

But cancer is not the only thing too much sun exposure can cause. Excessive sun can cause cataracts and premature aging as well.

“There are some healthy benefits of sun exposure, including vitamin D synthesis, require little sunlight,” said Dr Gibbs.

“The benefits are few but the risks are many. They include long-term skin damage, aging of the skin, cataracts, non-melanoma cancers and melanoma cancers which do affect a lot of young people purely because they have a longer life ahead of them, giving time for these conditions to develop.”

The best way to protect your skin is not to expose yourself to excessive sun at the hottest part of the day, 11am to 3pm.

If you are spending time in the sun wear clothing that will protect your body, including a hat.

“People think as long as they use sun cream they are protecting their skin,” said Dr Gibbs.

“But in actual fact, sun block or cream is one of the least effective methods of sun protecting. Simply not spending time in the sun is the best way to protect yourself.

“If you want to enjoy the sun, the evenings are now lighter, go out at 7pm or 8pm and enjoy it when it is not as strong.

“Tanned skin is sun damaged skin. Plain and simple.”