GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — Just like the title, temperatures outside sure are starting to heat up as people start to flood the beaches and pools to cool off.

Water safety rules are always visible at a local pool, but you can’t forget about your skin safety while enjoying summer activities in the sun. Dr. Tiffany Alexander is a dermatologist at ECU Health who spoke about sun damage and the importance of wearing sunscreen.

“When we recommend sunscreen, we like to recommend it for the most part to protect people from the sun’s harmful UV rays and that’s to prevent skin cancer,” Alexander said. “We like to recommend sunscreen that is a broad spectrum, meaning it protects against the sun’s UVA and UVB rays and the reason for that is because those rays can induce damage in the DNA of the skin cells.”

UVA and UVB rays cause sunburns, skin cancer, skin aging and eye damage. Though we focus on two types of ultraviolet rays, there are three types of UV rays. UVC rays do not reach the Earth’s surface because they are completely absorbed by the atmosphere.

“Look for a sunscreen that you like or that you want to use, whether it clear, tinted, spray on, cream, but certainly one with SPF 30 and above, that’s water resistant, broad spectrum, and you want to reapply every two hours if you are outdoors, after sweating, or swimming,” Alexander said.

Also, keep in mind that sunscreen is made for all skin types, whether you have fair skin or pigmented skin.