Dear Kid,
Lecture time.
And no, you don’t get to sleep in and skip this one.
While we will not (repeat NOT) call your sister a raccoon or a French fry (at least not to her face), it is clear to everyone within a 23 mile radius that she neglected to indulge in sunscreen yesterday. The glow meant we could turn off the lights last night and still see brilliantly well, but skin is not intended as an alternative light source.
To be clear. Here are 5 really good reasons not to get sun damage:
- Ultraviolet rays can actually alter your DNA. This is bad, because if you wanted altered DNA, you’d be a sheep.
- DNA damage contributes to skin cancers (yep, there are a bunch of them and they range from bad to deadly).
- Ultraviolet rays damage your skin and cause premature aging.
- You can get sunburned even on days you think are sunburn-proof. “Oh, its’ cloudy,” you say, “No need for sunscreen.” “Bah! Says the UV light.” And proceeds to burn you. According to the Mayo Clinic site, as much as 80% (that’s a lot) Of UV rays go right through clouds charring your skin (sometimes on a micro level). Think about it: you can still see on cloudy days which means light rays are not all being blocked by the aforementioned clouds.
- Sunburn hurts.
Things that increase your risk for sunburn:
- Having fair skin (obviously having unfair skin is good)
- Being outside (well, yeah, duh)
- Not wearing sunscreen—allow me to repeat: WEAR SUNSCREEN!
- Mixing outside with alcohol consumption
- Having been sunburned previously (yes, really)
- Tanning booths (don’t even get me started)
- Some medications can make your skin more likely to burn
Today’s lesson: Put. On. Sunscreen.
In case that’s confusing: Put on more sunscreen.
I’m so subtle.
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