SOYOUWANNA GET A (RELATIVELY) SAFE TAN?

3. TAKE PRECAUTIONS TO PREVENT SUNBURN

Okay, the goal here is to tan safely but since we already know that is impossible, we can at least figure out how to avoid getting burned. There is a pretty common myth that a sunburn will fade into a tan. Like the urban legend of pop rocks + soda = exploding stomach, this has no basis in reality. A sunburn is actually a bunch of broken blood vessels that form on top of a tan. While it is especially bad to suffer from sunburns before the age of 21 since it increases your odds of skin cancer, a sunburn at any age can have serious side effects. These effects include loss of skin moisture, loss of elasticity and the formation of sunspots on the skin. So to make sure you get a tan Frankie and Annette would be proud of, you need to take some precautions:

• Try to avoid the sun between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., since that's when UV rays are at their strongest.
  
  
• Make sure that your sunscreen is waterproof. If you're thinking you don't need sunscreen because you will be swimming, think again. UV rays can reach up to nine feet in water and it will be harder to feel your skin burn as you swim.
  
  
• Reapply sunscreen every 20 minutes.
  
  
• Apply sunscreen on days that look overcast too, since clouds are able to block only 20% of radiation.
  
  
• The clothes you wear can also have an impact upon whether you burn or tan. When not swimming, it's important that you wear loose fitting clothes that aren't transparent. Stick with light colors since dark clothes attract the sun. This is also your chance to go dramatic since most dermatologists recommend wearing a hat in the sun.
  
  
• Of course, no sun-worshipping outfit would be complete without a pair of sunglasses. The sunglasses you buy don't have to be expensive, but they should be able to block all UVA and UVB radiation. If you can't tell, don't buy them. Exposing your eyes to the sun can result in vision loss and damage to the cornea. Besides, everyone looks good in sunglasses, so make sure you get a pair you like.

If you do get a sunburn, you should treat it immediately.