“I Don’t Need Sunscreen”: 50 People Who Thought So And Ended Up Looking Like Dorks (New Pics)

Dr. Carroll, the head of Atembis LLC, said that everyone should get a decent amount of sun daily. "We need sunlight just for mental health, but we also need it to help convert vitamin D to its active form. Taking vitamin D orally is not enough—it needs to be activated and that happens through the skin. There is no “right amount” of sunlight. Everyone’s skin tone is different," the medical expert said.

"What you don’t want to do is burn. If you get a peeling sunburn, each time that happens, you’ve increased your risk of skin cancer. Excessive sun exposure also increases the risk of solar lentigo, which are sunspots," the doctor warned. "A peeling, blistering sunburn is 'too much.' You don’t want to get there."

Meanwhile, sunstroke is different. It's a state of dehydration: it occurs when you don't consume enough fluids while you're out in the hot sun. Recently, Europe has been dealing with a massive heatwave, so both sunstroke and sunburns were much more acute.

"Your skin requires hydration to stay healthy—if you’re outside for long periods of time, make sure you’re hydrating from the inside as well as the outside by using lotion and/or protective sunscreen," Dr. Carroll told Bored Panda.

We wanted to get the doctor's opinion on how someone could go about talking with a person who stubbornly refuses to wear sunscreen. Here's what he told us: "Sometimes the best way to convince someone of the risks of too much sun exposure is to have them talk to older relatives. Older relatives not only share genetics but also commonly skin tone and risks tend to be similar. Talk to your older relatives and look at their skin."

Dr. Carroll, of Atembis LLC, shared with Bored Panda the types of questions that people should ponder: "Do they have a lot of sunspots? Look at their hands. Look at the skin structure. Is it leathery and thick, wrinkled early? Is it overly thin and easy to tear? How many times have they had something cut or frozen off of their skin? Have they ever had major surgery for skin cancer? Those risks are shared, and you can reduce your own risk by either using physical cover or wearing sunscreen appropriate to your skin tone," he said. Physical cover includes clothing, hats, and sunglasses, the latter of which reduces the risk of cataracts.

Sunlight is pretty much like anything else—moderation is key, and the ‘dose’ you get really matters. Sunlight helps with serotonin production and helps you stay calm, focused, and positive; it also gives you more energy. It’s also one way to fight back against depression and seasonal affective disorder. So much so that some doctors prescribe natural or artificial light treatments.

In other words, you need a daily dose of sunlight to be a properly functioning human being. You really shouldn’t spend all day indoors, in front of your computer screen, hissing at anyone who opens the curtains. On the flip side, you don’t want to stay out in the sun for too long. Especially without protection.

Some people are naturally more prone to getting sunburnt. The easiest way to predict the future is to look at the past. Have you gotten badly sunburnt in the past? Do you end up looking like a super-red lobster after just a few minutes outdoors? Do people keep telling you to put on sunscreen, for the love of all that’s holy? Those are some ‘subtle’ hints that you should be far more careful with your skin health during the summer and throughout the year.

According to the Mayo Clinic, people who have white skin and red hair are at higher risk of getting sunburn. Obviously, if you’re at the beach or elsewhere with tons of sun, the risk is higher, too. But those of you traveling to the mountains and places at a high altitude should also be aware that your skin might get burnt more easily.

Wet skin tends to burn more easily than dry skin, so keep that in mind when splashing around in the sea, lake, or pool this year. You might want to invest in lots of water-resistant sunscreen if you plan to do a lot of swimming.

Of course, sunscreen isn’t the only way to protect yourself. You can wear long-sleeved clothing and hats to protect yourself from the UV rays. If your skin feels painful or hot to the touch, odds are that you’ve gotten a sunburn, and it should appear within a few hours. It can several days to heal.

Prevention is usually better than having to deal with the consequences. However, we can’t always avoid those. When you get a sunburn, your skin might look pink or red, it might feel tender and itchy. There might be swelling and blisters, and you might have a headache or a fever. The scariest thing is that even your eyes can burn in the sun.