As summer weather moves in, everyone heads outside to enjoy the sunshine from time to time.

But being out in the sun for too long can be harmful to someone’s health. Sunburn is a common occurrence, but Guthrie County Health Services Director Jotham Arber says it doesn’t have to be as bad as it is. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio that when spending time under the sun, using some sunscreen can help prevent becoming burned.

Arber explains that certain people need different levels of sunscreen to protect themselves from the sun, and that to find those numbers, you just need to check the side of the sunscreen bottle. He adds that a doctor’s recommendation may help individuals know what strength they need, but that anything from SPF 15 to SPF 100 should work.

“Really all that those SPF numbers are there for is to show us how much of the UV light that we’re blocking. Because we want to make sure that as that sun’s beaming down on us and we’re getting that vitamin D, which we really want, that we’re not getting all of the ultraviolet radiation into our skins that can cause cancer.”

Arber explains why the range of SPF 15 to SPF 100 is the recommended range for sunscreen.

Anything below that SPF 15, you start to decrease the ability of that sunblock to do its job. So anything below that is probably not going to be good for you, and anything above that (SPF 100 rating), you might as well be wearing a long shirt.”

Arber also wants to remind everyone that they need to remember to reapply their sunscreen regularly, otherwise sweat, or water if you’re at the pool, can cause the sunscreen to wear down and become less effective.