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A dermatologist says Love Island’s sunburnt Dr Alex “probably works best in the shadows” when cracking on with girls

A dermatologist says Love Island’s sunburnt Dr Alex “probably works best in the shadows” when cracking on with girls

“His pursuit of the fairer form is causing him to indulge in risky sun behaviour,” warns the skincare expert

Ellie Harrison

Published: Wednesday, 4 July 2018 at 4:10 pm

Love Island fans are expressing increasing concern for the condition of contestant Alex George’s skin, as he turns redder and redder in the sun-drenched Majorcan villa.

Alex is (or was) the fairest of the 2018 contestants, and has been unlucky in love ever since he arrived on the sweltering Spanish island, where the temperature is 33 degrees celsius at the time of writing.

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The expression “laying it on factor 50 thick” has become a euphemism on Love Island for pursuing a bed partner, but a dermatologist has told RadioTimes.com that this advice needs to be adhered to in a much more literal sense if Alex wants to stop getting pied by girls.

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Consultant dermatologist Dr Bav Shergill, who has been watching Love Island “with fascination”, warns that Alex’s hunt for a mate is worsening his sunburn. “I do worry that his pursuit of the fairer form is causing him to indulge in slightly risky sun behaviour,” he says.

And the irony is, the longer Alex spends chasing after girls in the sunshine, the less alluring he becomes. “If Alex looks red and a bit peely, he's not looking particularly healthy and attractive, so there could be a cosmetic implication for this too,” says Dr Shergill.

“He could be looking guilty and a bit shifty if he's looking red-faced – would a woman trust him? That's the question.”

Dr Shergill reckons Alex “probably works best in the shadows” when cracking on with girls and that he should avoid being out in the direct sunlight. “It’s just not good for you,” he warns, “because you're going to look a bit beetroot and not suave.”

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So what can Alex actually do to stop looking so scorched? Check out Dr Shergill’s tips below – they might get you through this British heatwave, too…

Dr Shergill’s sun protection tips…

Literally lay it on factor 50 thick. “Go for as high a sun cream factor as you can, because the likelihood is you won't put enough on”
Avoid too much direct sunlight between 11am and 3pm. “You can be out, but you can sit in those lovely pagodas at the side… you don't need to catch rays, it's fine not to”
Reapply sun cream every time you come out of the water
Don’t become complacent if people around you aren’t turning red. “If you hang around with people who have darker skin types and are not burning, they are more likely to give you a false sense of security that you're not burning, when actually if you’re quite fair you should be protecting your skin”
Moisturise in the evening and drink lots of water. “A good moisturiser after you've been out is a good idea to support your skin. And make sure you drink plenty of water. The Love Island water bottle is such a good thing. I'm very impressed with that”
Wear a hat. “Alex needs to rock his hats”

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Dr Shergill debunks a couple of sun protection myths…

You WILL tan even if you're using sun protection. "It's not a magic shield, it just reduces the impact of sun on your skin, but only for a certain amount of time”
A tan DOES NOT stop you from burning. “Another myth is that a tan protects you from burning and that dark skinned people don't need to worry about burning in the sun. Dark skinned people do… how your skin looks is not necessarily how it behaves”

Dr Bav Shergill is a spokesperson for the British Association of Dermatologists.

Love Island continues at 9pm on ITV2

Authors

Ellie HarrisonWriter, RadioTimes.com

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