Last Updated on November 23, 2021

Protect your skin from sunburn under the harsh Israeli sun.

Sun protection tips for Israel.

It’s beach weather again and fun-filled weekends hiking and being outdoors top the list of weekend activities for the family. The climate in Israel is harsh with hot dry summers from mid-May to mid-September.   Blistering heat-waves coupled with dust and sand-storms (Heb: Sharav or Arabic: Hamsin) are not uncommon.   Protecting your skin from sunburn must be a priority when you are outdoors or traveling around the country.  Keeping your body hydrated is just as important.

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8 useful sun protection tips from Israel’s Ministry of Health

1. Avoid being outdoors between midday and 4 p.m. – the hottest time of the day.
2. Wear sunblock whenever you are sunbathing, hiking, playing sport or any outdoor activity. Apply sunscreen generously, and reapply it every two hours — or more often if you’re swimming or perspiring.
3. Cover up.  Wear sun protective clothing.  Special clothing with a built in sun-protection factor is worth considering. Wearing a light weight, long sleeve, cotton shirt will also protect your bod from the vicious UV rays. You should start protecting your child from the sun when he or she is a baby. Because children spend a lot of time outdoors playing, they get most of their lifetime sun exposure in their first 18 years. It’s safest to keep babies younger than 6 months out of the sun altogether.
4. Wear a hat whenever you are out in the sun.
5. Don’t travel in Israel without water.  Summer temperatures in Israel can reach as much as 40 degrees Centigrade in some places.  Dehydration can be a real danger.  Drink at least 2 liters of water per day per person
6. Offer your eyes the best protection outdoors by choosing the highest UV protection-rated sunglasses.
7. Got sun burned? This is what you can do; Take a pain reliever. Cool the skin. Apply moisturizer, aloe-vera lotion or gel. Don’t pop blisters – it increases the risk of infection.  Continue to drink plenty of fluids especially water.  Ice-lollies will help re-hydrate a small child who is fed-up with drinking water. Continue to moisturize your skin even when it is peeling. Protect your sunburn from further sun exposure.
8. Most sunburn can be treated at home but seek medical attention when; sunburn is severe – with blisters and covers a large portion of your body, if sunburn is accompanied by a high fever or severe pain, nausea or even chills, you’ve developed a skin infection as a result of scratching your skin, you have a severe sunburn that doesn’t begin to improve within a few days or if your child is unresponsive in any way.