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Every spring and summer, Soldiers get painful sunburns that lead to time lost from duty and training. If you have a fair complexion and light hair, you are especially at risk for skin damage from the sun. The sun can also hurt your eyes, so even Soldiers with dark complexions need to protect themselves.
How should you protect your skin?
Use sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor of 30 or above that protects against both ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B rays. Reapply every few hours if you can. Don’t forget to apply sunscreen to your lips. Many lip balms contain sunscreen. Once opened, sunscreen loses its strength over a year, so replace your sunscreen at least once a year. Get a waterproof sunscreen if you will be sweating a lot or will be around water. To protect your skin, you should also seek shade, use your uniform to cover your arms and legs, and wear a wide-brimmed hat when possible to protect your head and neck.
How should you protect your eyes?
Wear sunglasses that provide 100 percent UV protection (UVA and UVB). Sunglasses do not have to be expensive to protect well. Wrap-around shades work the best. Wide-brimmed hats also help. Use goggles in snow-covered areas.
When should you protect yourself?
The sun is strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Use the rule “Short Shadow? Seek Shade!” If your shadow is shorter than your height, you can get a light sunburn in about 35 minutes. But when your shadow is twice as long as your height, it would take about 90 minutes for you to get that same light sunburn.
Pay attention to the UV index. The UV index informs the public of the level of UV exposure expected on a given day. It is reported as a prediction of the UV level at noon, although the UV level rises and falls as the day progresses. Since May 2004, the UV level is being reported using a scale of 1 (low) to 11 and higher (extreme).
There is also a new color scheme, revised exposure categories and different breakpoints. The color scheme ranges from green (for low) to violet (for extreme). A guide to the new UV index can be found at www.epa.gov/
0sunwise/doc/uviguide.pdf.
First Aid
There is no quick cure for a minor sunburn. Symptoms can be treated with aspirin, Tylenol or ibuprofen to relieve pain and headache and reduce fever. Drinking plenty of water helps to replace fluid lost. Cool baths or the gentle application of cool wet cloths on the burned area may also provide some comfort. Workers with sunburns should avoid further exposure until the burn has resolved. A topical moisturizing cream, aloe, or a low-dose (0.5 to 1 percent) hydrocortisone cream, which is sold over the counter, may also help ease the pain and speed up the healing.
If blistering occurs, lightly bandage or cover the area with gauze to prevent infection. The blisters should not be broken, as this will slow the healing process and increase the risk of infection. When the blisters break and the skin peels, dried fragments may be removed and an antiseptic ointment or hydrocortisone cream may be applied.
Seek medical attention if any of the following occur: dehydration; high fever (greater than 101 degrees Fahrenheit); extreme pain that persists for longer than 48 hours or severe sunburns covering more than 15 percent of the body (more than just the forearms and lower legs.)
For more information on sunburns or to view a burn chart, visit E Medicine Health at www.emedicinehealth.com/burn_percentage_in_adults_rule_of_nines/article_em.htm.
