Which sunscreens to use

Best for watersports

Swimming can make the skin more sensitive to the sun. Use a water-resistant lotion and always re-apply sunscreen after towelling off. Parasol 20+ (£12.50 per 100ml; 020 7208 4380 for stockists), a one-application-a-day cream, must be applied half an hour before going into the sun, and only needs to be topped up when you've towelled dry. Blocks more than 90 per cent of UVA and UVB rays.

Best for kids

Mineral-based sun-blocks (which reflect the sun) can be kinder to delicate skins than chemical formulations, and a high SPF of 25 or more is essential. Whichever you choose, apply it relentlessly; two-thirds of a lifetime's sun damage is suffered in childhood. E45 sunblock, available in SPF 25 and SPF 50, contains zinc oxide and titanium dioxide to form a shield on the skin, though it will make it rather white. £10.28. Eau Thermale Avene Maximum Protection 60B60A Extreme Sunblock Creme (£12.95 at Boots) is an award-winning - if pricey - cream.

To prepare for a deep tan

To maximise the results of the sunshine with the least danger to your skin, try Elemis Tan Accelerator (SPF 4, £16.50 for 125ml, 01278 727 830). This lotion, which you use for a week or two before a holiday, contains glucose tyrosinate, an amino acid which boosts melanin (which helps protect the skin from sun) production in the body. Or Imedeen Tan Optimizer tablets, which help boost the tanning power of a pale skin (£37.50).

Best for allergies

Fragrances and preservatives in sunscreens can provoke reactions. Choose a fragrance-free formulation and test it first on a patch of skin. Simple Sun is hypoallergenic and fragrancefree (available in many SPFs, from £6.75 a bottle, at Boots). Liz Earle Sun Shade Body Protector SPF 15 (£17 for 200ml tube, 01983 813 913 or www.lizearle.com) uses mineral sunscreen. And F&F Dermablock, developed for people with sensitive skin, and has a SPF of 35. (£25, 08700 117 563).

Money no object?

Go for creams created by doctors for patients recovering from chemical peels, surgery or laser-resurfacing. Skinceuticals C+E serum contains a potent antioxidant mix of vitamins C and E (£58 for 15ml; 020 8997 8541 for stockists). DDF (Doctor's Dermatological Formula) Photo-Ageing Protection, SPF30, (£22 for 120ml at Harvey Nichols). Jan Marini Daily Face Protectant (SFP 30; £39.50), or Agera Rx SPF 25 Moisturiser (£28 for 60ml; for clinic stockists, ring 0800 027 2029).

Best fake tan

In the salon, the St Tropez Airport: quick, good coverage and great colour (from £30; call 0115 983 6363). For home use, Fake Bake products; the passionfruit smell is much nicer than the usual tang of tanning agent DHA (0870 054 4455 for stockists).

Price-sensitive?

Go for Delph, a company committed to low-cost sun protection, which offers one of the very few ranges of sunscreens that has been sufficiently well tested to be licenced on the drug tariff, ie doctors can prescribe it to people with a medical need for sunscreen. Delph suncare, in factors 8-50, available at Woolworth and Unichem, from £3.79 a bottle.