Let's all go outside and celebrate: It's supposed to be 90 degrees this weekend.
Whoopee. Sorry if I don't share in the sun worshipping. (Disclosure: I don't like summer. I don't like days that are hotter than 85 degrees and I don't like sweating after just 10 minutes standing outside.) Don't even ask why I live here from June to October.
But I have a lot of friends who can't wait until the clouds disappear and for a blank, blue sky to play under. They like wearing tank tops and shorts -- the more skin exposed to the sun, the better.
It's healthy to get out in the sun. A little sunlight is good. It gives the body the vitamin D it needs to ward off cancers.
But you don't need, red, blistered skin.
Beyond OUCH, a sunburn increases the risk for skin cancer.
Apparently, however, a lot of people haven't got that message. A federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey of data from 1999, 2003 and 2004 found a third of adults in the U.S. had at least one sunburn during the preceding year. Two-thirds had more than one sunburn.
So on this first hot weekend, go ahead, soak up a few rays. Then cover up. Here's advice from the CDC for avoiding a sunburn.
--Wear a wide-brimmed hat.
--Seek shade.
--Wear wrap-around sunglasses.
--Avoid the sun from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
--Use sunscreen with a sun protection factor of SPF 15 or higher.