Imelda Van Kempen, age 14, of Langley, British Columbia, Canada, for her question:

HOW CAN THE SUN BURN A PERSON?

Burns to your skin caused by an overexposure to the sun are definitely burns. They are no different than burns caused by the heat from flames or water  only the sunburn's inciting agent is different.

Sunburn can be as simple as a slight reddening of the skin or severe enough to cause blistering, fever, nausea and even permanent scarring.

The ease with which you will either burn or tan from prolonged exposure to the sun depends to a large extent on the amount of pigment in your skin. A person who has dark skin does not burn as easily as one with light colored skin.

A sunburn is caused by the sun's radiation.