By: Kathy Hubbard
When I was around twenty, a friend of mine said I could drive his expensive, convertible sports car if I’d take him to the airport. After I dropped him off, I had the bright idea of driving to see a girlfriend who lived around ninety miles away. Of course, the top was down. Of course I didn’t have any sunscreen with me.
After lunch at an outdoor café, we hatched a plan to go joy riding in this fabulous car. And so, we did. You know where this is going, don’t you? Yup. Nine hours later, and heaven knows how many miles we drove, I was so sunburned I literally had to cut my shirt off. I couldn’t move my arms. I had chills. I threw up. I blistered. And I’m happy to say, I never snagged that car again without slathering myself in SPF50 sunscreen.
You see, I learned from the burn. Will you? The Skin Cancer Foundation’s (SCF) website says that sunburn hurts you in more ways than one. “Sunburn accelerates skin aging and is a leading cause in the majority of cases of basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma, a dangerous type of skin cancer.”
The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) estimates that 234,680 new melanoma cases will be diagnosed in the U.S. this year. Of those, 112,000 will be of the invasive variety and 8,510 people will die from the disease. As for adults treated for basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, 6.1 million adults will be treated at a cost of $8.9 billion. Remember we’re talking about totally preventable diseases here.
So, exactly what is a sunburn? SCF explains, “Sunburn is an inflammatory reaction to ultraviolet (UV) radiation damage to the skin’s outermost layers. At the heart of it all is melanin, a pigment that gives your skin its color and defends it against the sun’s rays. Melanin works by darkening your unprotected sun-exposed skin. The amount of melanin you produce is determined by genetics, which is why some people get sunburned while others tan. Both are signs of cellular damage to the skin.
“For people with less melanin, prolonged unprotected sun exposure can cause skin cells to become red, swollen and painful, also known as sunburn. Sunburns can range from mild to blistering. Skin type determines your susceptibility; people with fair skin run the greatest risk. But anyone can get burned.”
Interestingly, there’s research that found that UV rays that damage the skin also can alter a tumor-suppressing gene which gives cells less of a chance to repair which can then result in cancer. And it’s not surprising that the more you burn the greater the risk you face. “Subsequent UV damage can occur even with there is no obvious burn,” SCF says.
The AAD reminds us that our skin is exposed to harmful UV rays every time we go outside, even on cloudy days. So, we should always wear sunscreen. They recommend choosing one that’s SPF (Sun Protection Factor) is higher than 30, is water resistant, and provides broad-spectrum (UVA and UVB rays) coverage. Sunscreen should be applied at least fifteen minutes before going outside, and at a minimum adults should use about one ounce of the product to cover all the skin that’s exposed to the sun.
“To remain protected when outdoors, reapply sunscreen every two hours, and immediately after swimming or sweating,” AAD says. “People who get sunburned usually didn’t reapply, used too little sunscreen, or used an expired sunscreen.”
Remember, young skin heals faster than older skin, but it’s less able to protect itself. For that reason, never let your children get sunburned. As a matter of fact, SCF says to never, that’s never, expose the skin of a baby under six months of age to the sun.
“Babies older than six months should be protected from the sun, and wear UV-blocking sunglass to protect their eyes. For a baby less than one year old, sunburn should be treated as an emergency. Call your pediatrician immediately.”
Your homework from today’s lesson is to read up on what you can do immediately if you or a family member gets sunburned. And then implement a strategy to keep everyone safe.
Kathy Hubbard was a charter member of Bonner General Health Foundation. She can be reached at [email protected]. This article was written for publication in the Bonner County Daily Bee on July 8, 2026.