How long in the Sun till I burn?

UV Index Number

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Skin Type

1 - Always burn, seldom tan 2 - Usually burn, sometimes tan 3 - Sometimes burn, usually tan 4 - Seldom burn, always tan

Detailed results:

Overview:

How the sun affects you depends on two things: the amount of UV radiation you receive, measured by the UVI level, and how your skin reacts to that radiation, indicatively provided by your skin type.

Skin Types

The skin types used for this app are taken from the World Health Organisation. You can see more about them here.

Skin type classification	Do you burn in the sun? (without protection)	Do you tan after having been in the sun?
1	Always	Seldom
2	Usually	Sometimes
3	Sometimes	Usually
4	Seldom	Always
5	Naturally brown skin
6	Naturally black skin

Where are the results for skin type 5 & 6? The scientfic paper these calculations are based upon only produced data for skin types 1-4 as these are at higher risk of developing skin cancer. We will look for more data to extend this analysis to these skin types.

UVI Index?

The Ultra Violet Index number is a method of describing in one number the strength of, sun-burn causing, UV radiation coming from the sun. It varies by location, season and local weather conditions and is widely available in weather forecast apps for your local area. Your smart phone or smart watch may be able to tell your current UVI level. More information can be found here.

Burn Types

• First-degree sunburn produces redness, swelling, pain and superficial damage. These burns only afect the skin surface (epidermis) and cause minor tissue damage.
• Second-degree sunburn afects the top and underlying layers of skin (epidermis and dermis), causing blisters, pain, swelling and redness, which can require medical attention to deal with effectively.

Indicative

Whilst this calculator is based on published scientfic data the information given is for indicative purposes only. As described in the paper even individuals with the same skin type will react differently (hence the population stats). Additionally the actual UV radiation reaching an individual will depend on lots of things - cloud cover, accuracy of forecast, quality of shade, surface reflections etc. which are not taken into account.