...and for stopping sunburn, it leaves parasols in the shade

Sitting under an umbrella or parasol on the beach does not protect people from sunburn, researchers warn.

Almost eight out of ten people who used a parasol ended up with sore skin compared with only a quarter given strong sun cream, a study reported.

The findings, published in JAMA Dermatology, show that neither method alone offers complete sunburn prevention, although the sunscreen was more efficient in the trial.

Up to a third of cancer-causing ultraviolet rays still reach the skin, even when you are in the shade. The study involved 81 people who spent three and a half hours at Lewisville Lake, Texas. An umbrella was used by 41 of them while the rest used SPF 100 sunscreen.

A day later they were examined for sunburn. The researchers found that 78 per cent of those who were under the shade of the umbrella developed sunburn compared with 25 per cent of the sun cream group.