How long does it take to get sunburned without protection?
The sun here in the Valley is no joke as many of Rio Grande Valley folks can atest to.
But simple things like putting on sunblock is a step that some of us are too busy to make time for. (me included)
And it's these simple things that could potentially save your life and prevent you from enduring a bad sunburn!
So the question most of us have is, "how long does it take to get sunburned without sun block"
Unfortunately, the answer isn't so simple.
The amount of time it takes to get one can depend on a person's complexion, the time of day he or she was exposed to the sun or any number of other factors.
According to "How Stuff Works" if a person with a light complexion and a person with a dark complexion went to the beach together and neither of them wore sunscreen, the person with the light complexion would burn faster.
This happens because fair-skinned people start out with less melanin, which gives you a tan and helps protect you from the sun. People with naturally dark complexions produce more melanin, and that's why it takes them longer to get burned.
Obvious right? Well Did you know: if two people with the same complexion went to the beach, but one went at noon and the other went at 4 p.m., the person who went earlier would burn in a shorter amount of time. This is due to the simple fact that the sun's rays are stronger between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. (Web MD)
Regardless of skin types, most unprotected skin can burn in minutes, especially when the UV Index Scale is high.
High UV indexes are from 6-11. And here in the Valley you can find a UV index of 11 during Noon.
Bottom line, wearing sunscreen is important.
It will not only help prevent skin cancer, but it will also keep your skin looking healthy and young!