Around half the UK population gets sunburnt at least once a year, according to a study by Melanoma Focus. So, how should you treat it?

“The best way to deal with sunburn is to avoid it,” says Dr Wedgeworth, who adds that you can’t reverse the underlying damage once it has happened, regardless of which products you use. “However, if it has happened, treatment should be mainly supportive: soothe the skin, take appropriate pain relief, drink plenty of fluids and use bland moisturisers on intact, unbroken skin.”

What about aloe vera, a cactus-like plant whose extracted gel has been used for thousands of years to treat sunburn, abrasions and dry skin? “I’m not a huge fan of aloe vera or aftersun gels,” says Dr Wedgeworth. “They can feel soothing if they’re alcohol-free and non-irritating, but they don’t undo the injury and are often too light to support damaged skin.”

An iced coffee will cool you down on a hot day

In theory, yes, but it’s not quite that simple, says Dr Baumgardt. “Any cold drink will feel very cooling at first. They’re refreshing and cool the interior of the body down a little. But the reason to drink cold drinks in the heat is simply hydration, not cooling. Our bodies are perfectly capable of regulating and offloading excess heat through sweating, which cools the skin, and something called piloerection, which is the opposite of goosebumps. When we’re cold, goosebumps cause the hairs on our arms and legs to stand up to keep the heat in; when our body needs to cool down, it naturally flattens body hair to release trapped heat.”

Hot drinks, on the other hand, trigger the body’s sweating mechanism, thereby cooling the body down faster.

And while it’s important to drink plenty of water when we’re in the sun, iced coffees and beers are less than ideal, he says. “Alcohol and caffeine are diuretics, which means they make you urinate more, and this can lead to dehydration,” he says. “It’s fine to have a cold beer while you’re on the beach or watching the World Cup, but make sure you balance each drink with a glass of water to stay hydrated and cool.”

Wait 30 minutes after eating before going for a swim