
One way to protect your skin is not to be outside during the sun's peak hours, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.. These times will burn your skin much faster. When you are in the sun always have a reasonable SPF (Sun Protection Factor) in your sunscreen. "To determine your sunscreen strength, multiply the amount of time it takes you to burn by the SPF number." So, if you get red in 10 minutes without protection, and you use a SPF of 30, 30 x 10 is 300 and that's the amount of time in minutes it would take to burn using a sunblock 30 SPF. Be aware of how much time you spend in the sun. My mom says to keep putting sun block on throughout the day and not just once.
You may not know it, but if you hung your arm out of the window of your car you could be burning right then and there. Never be in the sun unnecessarily without sun protection on.
Another key way to keep healthy in the sun is to keep hydrated. That means drinking lots of water. Dehydration is very serious. It means you aren't getting enough water to replace the water you lose sweating and moving around. If you are going to play a sport outside in the sun, remember to keep a water bottle handy. Drink a lot while you're in the sun.
Sunburn isn't the only way the sun's rays can damage your body. It can also damage your eyes and cause cataracts. A cataract is when your eye clouds over and you lose your vision! That sounds awful, so protect your eyes now. Remember to wear sunglasses when you are out in the sun. And don't be fooled if you're in the car. Even tinted windows cannot block out all of the sun's rays. That includes being in water like a swimming pool. The sun's rays can travel three feet deep!
One of the most serious things sun can do to your skin is cause skin cancer. Skin cancer is very serious and unfortunately, more common now than ever. When you get older never try to tan your skin. Doing this can lead to skin cancer. Protect your skin, it's the largest organ in the body!
Now you know how to be safe and the importance of protecting yourself from the sun. Let's be sun safe this summer. Just for kicks, try saying that really fast three times. Bye!