After we've been in the sun for a while, the sun's rays begin to harm our skin. Skin cells are injured and become painful. And the blood vessels underneath our skin get bigger and allow more blood to flow through. That extra blood is what makes us look sunburned.
Nifty shades
Our eyes need protection from burning rays, too. Some sunglasses have a special coating which stops the harmful rays from getting through.
Sunny facts
- You can get a suntan, even a sunburn, on a cloudy day because burning rays can get through clouds.
- Long ago, Eskimos from the Arctic and Maoris from New Zealand thought that the sun took a boat trip every night.
Slap on that lotion!
Sunscreens help block out the sun's burning rays. They have SPF (Sun Protection Factor) numbers. SPF 3 means that you can stay in the sun three times as long as you could without sunscreen and still not burn. SPF 15 means you can stay 15 times longer.
