After all those months of pasty skin, who wouldn't be in a hurry to get a five-minute tan? But sitting out in the sun for hours at a time not only increases your risk of melanoma, it can cause skin blisters, severe burns, and that very unenviable look of a bright red Brit on holiday.

"What generally happens on holiday is that people eat too much, drink too much, and then pass out in the sun and turn bright red," warned Dr Wendy Denning, who runs a integrated medical clinic in London. "If you know you will be going out in the sun, take some vitamin E, selenium and betacarotene supplements in advance, as they've got natural sunscreens in them, and wear cream of at least SPF 30 (Sun Protection Factor) when in the sun.

"A lot of people think that if they are swimming they don't need any sunscreen, but just because you are in the water doesn't mean you're protected - the water actually reflects more light onto your skin."

Dr Denning recommendes drinking at least two litres of water a day, and soothing the sunburn with calendula cream or aloe vera gel. If however, your sunburn has turned into blisters, be careful with the delicate skin."

"What you don't want to do is break the blister," explains DR Fontebasso, "Try and protect the skin and seek advice. You don't want the blister to get infected. Ultimately, sunburn is a burn and you have to be careful about healing in that situation."