• Soltan has partnered with Macmillan Cancer Support to train over a thousand team members on sun safety advice
• New Boots Sun Safety Advisors will be available in store and will encourage customers to follow the 3 C’s for good sun safety; Cream, Cover, Check
• Boots has a wide range of products and services to help customers stay safe in the sun, from 5* UVA Soltan sun protection, UV filter sunglasses, a mole scanning service and much more.

As schools break up for the summer holidays and people across the UK start to strip back the layers in anticipation of some sunshine, Boots continues its mission to encourage good sun safety behaviour.

For the second year running, Boots own brand, Soltan is joining forces with Macmillan Cancer Support as its official Sun Safety partner. Together, they plan to train over a thousand Boots team members to be new Boots Sun Safety Advisors, available in stores across the UK to offer valuable sun safety advice and guidance this summer.

The training covers key topics including the importance of SPF, sun safety for different skin types, and the best way to protect children, and resulted in the creation of a simple 3-step mantra; The 3 Cs - Cream, Cover and Check.

Soltan Sun Care Scientific Advisor, Clare O’Connor said: “Protecting yourself from the sun is one of the most important things you can and should be doing daily all year round, as it could be lifesaving. The 3 C’s is a simple and effective way to remember to be sun safe and help protect the whole family.

“Along with Boots Pharmacists and Boots Macmillan Information Pharmacists, Boots Sun Safety Advisors are now on hand in our stores, helping customers to easily access any help or support they may need. Whether that is choosing the best SPF for them or their family, getting a mole checked out or understanding how to best support those living through cancer, Boots is here to help.”

Clare provides guidance on the 3 Cs:

CREAM:

• Look for sun protection that includes the 5* UVA rating - Soltan introduced the first UVA star rating system, now widely used across the suncare category, with all of its products offering the highest possible 5* UVA protection.
• Use a high SPF, to give greater protection from UV rays. As part of its partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support, Soltan announced last summer that it would no longer produce sun protection lower than SPF50 for kids and SPF15 for adults.
• Don’t miss anywhere: lips, top of ears, back of neck, feet and scalp are all easy to miss places • Apply frequently being sure to reapply after contact with sand, water, towels or sweating. Soltan offers a variety of formats, textures and finishes, to help customers find the one they like best… even for the wriggliest of children!
• Wear enough: use a minimum of eight teaspoons for whole body application for the average adult

COVER:

• Shade: seek shade during the hottest part of the day. In the UK this is between 11am – 3pm from March to October.
• Hats: wear a wide-brimmed hat to offer protection to your head, face and neck.
• Wraparound Sunglasses have UV filters to protect your eyes. Boots Opticians has hundreds of stylish and affordable options to choose from.
• Go long: wearing long, light-fabric clothes with a close natural fibre weave will help protect your skin from UV exposure.

CHECK:

• Check your skin regularly: about once a month for changes.
• Taking photos of moles or patches of skin can help you notice subtle changes. Ask someone to help with those hard to see places.
• If you are worried about moles or pigmented lesions, speak to your GP or NHS 111 about your concerns.
• You can also access The Mole Scanning Service* provided by ScreenCancer at Boots. The service provides an assessment of the worrisome mole or pigmented lesion and can help identify any suspicious moles or lesions that might need further investigation.

Professor Richard Simcock, Chief Medical Officer at Macmillan Cancer Support said: “Protecting yourself from the sun is the most important thing you can do to prevent skin damage. We’re proud to be partnering with Soltan once again as its official Sun Safety Partner to educate and promote the importance of sun safety while also increasing awareness of Macmillan’s range of support services which are available round-the-clock for anyone worried about, living with or supporting someone with cancer.”

The partnership has been established to ensure everyone has access to the information and protection they need to stay safe in the sun and to help raise funds to deliver services needed by people living with cancer.

Boots Sun Safety Advisors are easily identifiable in store by new Soltan + Macmillan badges. The full range of Boots Soltan products are available to purchase in all Boots stores and online at boots.com.

Learn more about sun skin safety and how Boots can help from Carol Vorderman.