Summer Sun Safety

With Winter on its way out and Summer on its way in, there's no doubt we're going to start taking advantage of the warm Summer Sun as much as we can... but we have to ensure we do so safely if we want to enjoy it to the fullest.

In this first installment of our Summer Sun Safety series, we take a closer look at the rays we love to soak up so much.

We all need some sun exposure as it is our primary source of vitamin D, which helps us absorb calcium for stronger, healthier bones. It doesn't take much time in the sun for most people to get the vitamin D they need. Repeated unprotected exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays can cause skin damage, eye damage, immune system suppression, and skin cancer. Even people in their twenties can develop skin cancer.

The sun radiates light to the earth, and part of that light consists of invisible ultraviolet (UV) rays. When these rays reach the skin, they cause tanning, burning, and other skin damage.

Sunlight contains three types of ultraviolet rays:

1. UVA rays make up the majority of our sun exposure, can cause skin aging and wrinkling and contribute to skin cancer, such as melanoma.
2. UVB rays are mostly absorbed by the ozone layer, but enough of these rays pass through to cause serious damage, such as sunburns, cataracts, melanoma, and may effect the immune system.
3. UVC rays are the most dangerous, but fortunately, these rays are blocked by the ozone layer and don't reach the earth.

Most kids rack up a lot of their lifetime sun exposure before age 18, so it's important that parents teach their children how to enjoy fun in the sun safely. With the right precautions, you can greatly reduce your child's chance of developing skin cancer.

In the weeks to come we'll be taking a closer look and giving you tips on how to protect your family from exposure to UVA and UVB, the rays that cause skin damage.