Myth-busting Windburn

Written by Wayde Beckman from the Health Sponsorship Council.
February 2011

 “I got windburnt today.”  “My lips feel windburnt.”  It’s something we hear from time to time (and even say ourselves) to explain red, sore, dry skin or lips after being outside.  And in this glorious country of ours, it’s hard to be outside and not feel the sweet caress (or fierce pummeling) of the wind.  But what is windburn?  And can the wind really burn our skin?

Myth-busting ultraviolet radiation

Written by Wayde Beckman from the Health Sponsorship Council, on 11 November 2010

Who would have thought in November, when temperatures struggle to get over 20 degrees in some New Zealand places, that ultraviolet (UV) radiation levels are already high enough to cause sunburn and put Kiwis at risk of developing melanoma skin cancer?