This is not medical advice. Everything here describes normal skin
physiology and everyday care. It does not diagnose, it does not treat and it is not a
substitute for assessment by a clinician. If skin is cracked and not healing, weeping,
crusting, spreading, painful, hot or swollen, or if a rash follows cold exposure with any
breathing difficulty, faintness or swelling beyond the exposed area, stop reading and speak to
a pharmacist, a GP or NHS 111. In an
emergency, call 999.
How this publication is funded. Two declared lines. A
paid register of occupational health providers, outdoor employers'
advisers and clinical services relevant to outdoor workers, published alphabetically, labelled
as paid, carrying only facts we can verify, and constituting neither a ranking nor a clinical
endorsement. And a newsletter with a labelled sponsor line and a
published rate card. Neither can influence a word of guidance. We sell no products, we
recommend no products and we run no advertising network.
Sun protection is not our subject. Ultraviolet exposure is a real stressor
and it is covered properly elsewhere. Here it appears only in passing, as one load among
several, because our subject is the barrier itself.
Published independently. © 2026 Surf Skin Lab. Last reviewed: 1 August 2026.