During the summer, my son goes to day camp . It's an awesome camp -- very structured, very active, and he always comes home with stories of the fun things he did that day. Last Thursday they went on a field trip to the beach. My son came home prickly and hot from a sunburn. (They applied sunscreen on all the kids when they got to the beach, but never reapplied throughout the day. I bet there were a lot of sunburned kids that day!)

But what exactly happens to your skin when you get burned? After exposure to the sun, your capillaries dilate, causing the skin to appear pink. Then, skin cells release a chemical that triggers inflammation. Within 12 hours, skin cells begin to die and the inflammation reddens. A tan forms when your skin cells release a pigment to help block your skin from UV rays. (And, no, you shouldn't consider a tan "protection" from the sun. Burn or tan, it all boils down to one thing -- skin damage.)

So take steps to protect your skin from the sun. If you do get burned, Bethany has some tips.

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We all have skin issues, and we all spend a lot of money and use a lot of chemicals trying to get rid of them. Summertime is especially hard on the skin with sunburns and bug bites on top of year round issues like breakouts and eczema, leaving your medicine cabinet full of tubes and ointments for everything you can think of. But did you know you might be able to do away with many of them just by heading to the kitchen when you need something? By combining simple ingredients you might already have you can not only treat issues like cold sores and blisters successfully, but in an all natural way.

Read this article for home remedy ideas you probably would have never thought of on your own, like using apple-cider vinegar on a sunburn or taking digestive enzyme pills to help heal eczema.

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