How+to+be+safe+when+your+in+th+sun

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-lut) **rays**. These are also sometimes 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 the skin 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 leave 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 get older. 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. 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: These steps are especially important between **10:00 in the morning and 4:00 in the afternoon**, when the sun's rays are strongest. Use a sunscreen with an SPF rating of 15 or higher. The letters SPF stand for sun protection factor, and the number rating tells you how much longer you can stay in the sun without getting sunburned. So if you normally burn after 20 minutes and you put on a sunscreen with an SPF rating of 15, this sunscreen will give you 15 times the protection. That's 15 times 20 minutes, or 300 minutes (5 hours). Reapply sunscreen every 2 to 3 hours, just to be safe. Do this more often if you've been swimming or sweating a lot - even if the sunscreen is waterproof. And remember that you can get sunburned more quickly when you're swimming or boating because the reflection from the water intensifies the sun's rays. Be sure to put sunscreen all over your body. This includes some places you might not think of, like the tops of your ears, the back of your neck, your face, and the tops of your feet. If you want to block the sun's rays, wear clothing that you can't see your hand through. You may still get burned through sheerer fabrics. Don't forget that your eyes need protection from ultraviolet rays, too. Always wear sunglasses in the bright sun, and make sure they have a label saying that they block UV rays.
 * 1) Always wear sunscreen.
 * 2) Take frequent breaks from the sun by going indoors or moving into the shade.