Before you sprawl in the sun, check out the truth about tanning.

The sun gives off powerful radiation waves, including different kinds of ultraviolet rays. Here are the two that should concern you:

UVA rays penetrate deep into the skin layer, causing premature ageing and increasing the risk of skin cancer.

UVB rays burn the surface of the skin, causing it to tan and burn.

A substance called melanin gives the skin colour and provides some natural protection against the sun's UV rays. In sunshine, melanin builds up and the skin becomes darker. Be warned, however, melanin takes time to build up a protective layer on the surface of the skin. Stripping off the moment the sun appears means the skin is unprepared, and quickly burns. It's true that people with naturally dark skin have high levels of the melanin pigment, but no one is completely immune from burning. 

A sunburn is basically an inflammation of the skin cells, as a result of exposure to the sun (also sun lamps). The skin becomes red, painful and sometimes blistered. Experts reckon that one severe burning session before the age of 15 can double the risk of skin cancer.

In short, by having some respect for the sun. Always use a cream, block or lotion with a Sun Protection Factor (or SPF). This is basically a filter system designed to block out harmful UV rays and stop you from burning too quickly. .

A high one. Experts actually recommend using nothing less than SPF15. Rub it on before going out in the sun and repeat the process throughout the day. If you're planning on going for a dip be sure that you're using a water resistant sun cream because sunlight actually increases in strength as it passes through water. Protecting yourself from the sun doesn't have to be a sweat. Like safer sex, if you take the right precautions then you won't risk any regrets.

• To get adequate sun protection, adults need to use 1oz. of sunscreen for each application -- that's enough to fill a shot glass.
• If one bottle of sunscreen lasts you all summer, you're not using enough.
• A 4-oz. bottle contains enough product for just four applications.
• The sun's rays are responsible for 80 percent of premature skin aging.
• Women of all ages are more likely to use sunscreen than men.
• If your shadow is shorter than you are, you're being exposed to high levels of UV radiation.
• One in five people will develop skin cancer.
• You get 80 percent of your lifetime sun exposure by age 18.
• The cure rate for nonmelanoma skin cancers is as high as 95 percent, if the cancer is caught and treated early.