Summer Fun in the Sun

The weather is warming up, the days are longer and there's more time to be outside doing all kinds of fun things!

But if you're going to be out in the sun, especially on a hot day, you need to stay safe. Let's find out how.

Don't Feel the Burn

Even though the sun is hot, it does cool things. It keeps us warm. It makes flowers and plants grow. It even gives us vitamin D so we can better absorb calcium into our bodies for strong bones.

It does all these things by sending down light, which includes invisible ultraviolet (say: ul-trah-vye-uh-lit) rays. These are also called UV rays. Some ultraviolet rays pass through air and clouds and penetrate the skin. When your skin's been exposed to too many of these rays, you get what's known as a sunburn. Ouch!

Some people get a sunburn faster than others because of their coloring. If you have blond or red hair, light-colored skin, and light-colored eyes, you'll tend to get a sunburn more quickly than someone with dark eyes and skin. That's because you have less melanin (say: meh-luh-nun). Melanin is a chemical in the skin that protects it from sun damage by reflecting and absorbing UV rays. People with darker skin have more melanin, but even if you have dark hair, dark eyes, or darker-toned skin, you can still get a sunburn. It will just take a little bit longer.

Sunburns look bad and feel worse. They can cause blisters on your skin. They can keep you inside feeling sore when everyone else is outside having fun. They increase your chance of getting wrinkly when you get older. And worst of all, they can lead to skin cancer when you are an adult. Because getting wrinkles and getting sick don't happen right away, they can seem like things that could never happen to you. But you still need to be careful.

Prime Time

You don't need to hide from the sun completely or wrap up like a mummy to protect yourself. But you should take these two steps:

1. Always wear sunscreen.
2. Take frequent breaks from the sun by going indoors or moving into the shade.

These steps are especially important between 10:00 in the morning and 4:00 in the afternoon, when the sun's rays are strongest.

Be sure to tell an adult if you're hot and you have a headache or feel dizzy or nauseated (like you're going to throw up). The grown-up will want to get you out of the sun, give you liquids to drink, and take you to a doctor, if necessary.

The good news is that the sun doesn't have to be your enemy if you wear your sunscreen, drink your water, and take breaks when you start to feel too hot. And don't forget your sunglasses. Not only do they protect your eyes from the sun, they make you look so cool!

Reviewed by: Kate M. Cronan, MD
Date reviewed: August 2010