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Photo courtesy of Erin A. Bluhm
Your skin type affects how easily you become sunburned. People with fair or freckled skin, blond or red hair, and light or blue eyes usually sunburn easily. Your age also affects how your skin reacts to the sun. The skin of children younger than age 6 and adults older than age 60 is more sensitive to sunlight.
Skin that is red and painful and that swells up and blisters may mean that deep skin layers and nerve endings have been damaged (second-degree burn). This type of sunburn is usually more painful and takes longer to heal. It increases your chances for developing skin cancer and melanoma. Read more about the causes and problems related to sunburns.
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