Protect Your Skin from Sun Damage

The sun helps your skin make vitamin D to keep your bones healthy. The sun can also help improve your mood and keep your sleep schedule regular. But too much sun can lead to sunburns and other damage that you can’t see. A new video from NIH—So Far and Yet So Close: The Sun and Your Skin—can help you learn how to avoid the sun’s harmful effects.

It’s not the sunlight you see that damages your skin. The sun also makes UV or ultraviolet light, which the human eye can’t detect. Some UV rays go deep into the skin and cause damage. If you get too much sun, your skin may have trouble repairing itself, which can make skin look older. Eventually, too much sun exposure can lead to skin cancer, the most common type of cancer in the U.S. 

The best way to avoid sun damage is to limit your time in direct sunlight. Get more tips for protecting your skin by watching the video on the NIH YouTube channel, and read NIH News in Health’s article: Sun and Skin: The Dark Side of Sun Exposure.