People have been warned that a number of everyday household medicines act “like a sponge for the sun's rays” and increase the rate at which people suffer from sunburn. 

With yet more sunny weather forecast for this week, people should expect to see busy beaches and walking routes. 

However, health professionals are warning people to be mindful of their skin, especially as a number of common medications increase the risk of sunburn. 

On The Claire Byrne Show, pharmacist Sheena Mitchell noted that it is “not just painkillers which can cause this problem”. 

“Certain medicines can act a bit like a sponge for the sun's rays,” she explained.

“They actually help to soak up the UV and then re-release that energy into your skin and the effect this has is that you can burn a little bit faster or more easily than you normally would. 

“Now, for medications like ibuprofen and naproxen, common painkillers, that generally is more associated with regular long-term use. 

“So, it's not something we see a huge amount of, but we do see it a lot with some antibiotics - particularly ones used to treat acne, which people might be on long-term.”

Ms Mitchell advised that any increase in risk will be noted on your patient information but conceded that anyone on long-term medication might not read that information. 

“If I'm even taking two paracetamol here myself, I certainly am not reading the leaflet because I'm aware of the general gist,” she said 

“But it is important; look, the advice actually is fairly universal. 

“We know the advice is the same for if you were protecting from the UV rays for skin cancer and that's Ireland's most common cancer.

“So, this is something we should all be doing; popping on the sun cream and using a high factor, something with an SPF 30 or even 50 is great.”

The solution, Ms Mitchell continued, is simply to make sure you use high quality sunburn. 

“This is not a reason to avoid taking your medication,” she said. 

“If you have any fears, obviously, chat to your local pharmacist or your doctor, but never stop medication because of this.

“It's just, maybe, have a bit more caution and stay out of the midday sun in Ireland. 

“We're great when we go on holidays at slathering on sun cream, but at home, we can be a bit more laissez faire about it.”

Main image: A woman spraying panthenol foam on her daughter's sunburnt back. Picture by: Alamy.com.