by Michele Catahay

Guam - It's summertime and most of us prefer to be out in the sun and on the beaches, but the most important thing to bring with you is your sunscreen. On Guam, the sun shines year round, but more people tend to go to the beach during the summertime.

Just in case you have plans to stay out in the sun longer than expected, make sure you're prepared. Bring your sunscreen. Sunscreen is used to protect the skin from UV radiation. It comes in all forms from topical lotion, cream, ointments, gel or even sprays, and for fun, they've even made the substance in several different colors. Sunscreen should be applied to your skin. The sun protection factor is key.

It's numbers such as 15, 30 and 50 which indicates the degree of sunburn protection provided by sunscreens. The question is how often should you reapply? The SPF relates to the amount of sun exposure rather than simply the length of sun exposure. Most people assume that the duration of effectiveness of the sunscreen can be calculated by multiplying the SPF by the length of time it takes to suffer a burn without sunscreen.

You should use an ounce of sunscreen for the entire body and should be reapplied every two hours and should be applied at least 30 minutes before going outdoors. After staying out in the sun for a long period of time, the sunscreen can wear away after swimming, bathing, perspiring heavily or drying off.

If you also want to get a tan, tanning products do contain sunscreens.