How to Stay Safe in the Summer Sun

Summer fun, summer sun. But a sunburn can really ruin an otherwise great day, or even an entire vacation. Worse yet, sunburns can lead to skin cancer over the long term. Stay safe in the sun. Here's how.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Stay in the shade. Avoid excess exposure to the sun from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. This is when sun rays are strongest. Don’t be fooled by cloudy skies. Harmful rays pass through clouds.
2. Use sunscreen products on your skin. Many suntan products have sunscreens to protect your skin from the sun.
3. Products with sunscreens have an “SPF” number on the label. SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. A higher number means it protects longer. Buy products with an SPF number of 15 or more.
4. Buy products whose label also says: “broad spectrum,” or otherwise says that it protects against both UV-A and UV-B, the two types of harmful sun rays. Also buy lotion marked “water resistant,” meaning it stays on your skin longer, even if you get wet or sweat a lot.
5. Wear a hat. A hat with a wide brim helps shade the neck, ears, eyes, and head.
6. Wear sunglasses. Buy only sunglasses with a label saying the glasses block 99 to 100 percent of the sun’s UV rays. If there is no label, do not buy the glasses.
7. Cover up. Wear loose, lightweight, long-sleeved shirts and long pants or long skirts when in the sun.
8. Avoid artificial tanning methods. This includes sunlamps and tanning beds, as well as tanning pills and tanning makeup. They don't protect you from the sun, and tanning pills contain a large amount of chemical additives.
9. Check your skin regularly for signs of skin cancer. Look for changes in the size, shape, color or feel of birthmarks, moles and spots. If you find any changes or find sores that are not healing, see your doctor.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not get a sunscreen in your eyes. It can sting something fierce.