Each year, many people take a break from the stress of life with a trip to the beach. Whether visiting this location with friends or family, it’s important to remain safe. There are several ways that someone can injure themselves while at the beach. Nothing can ruin your getaway faster than dealing with a beach injury. With that in mind, here are four conditions to watch out for while spending time at the beach.

1. Severe Sun Burns
   
   One main reason many people visit the beach is to work on their tan. That being said, it’s important to be aware of the dangers of sun exposure. Many people don’t realize how fast the sun’s rays heat the skin until it’s too late. If you’re on the beach and notice that you have a sunburn, get to a shady location right away. While many sunburns cause a few days of pain and go away on their own, others are more severe. One sign of a severe sunburn is noticing the appearance of blisters on your skin. In order to avoid sunburns while at the beach, you’ll want to wear sunscreen. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends that you wear a sunscreen with an SPF or sun protection factor of 30 or above.
2. Minor Cuts and Scrapes
   
   Another aspect of staying safe on the beach involves avoiding cuts and scrapes. Many beach visitors find that this happens while in shallow water without any foot protection. Unfortunately, there are rocks, animals, and other materials that can easily cut the bottoms of your feet. If this happens, consider visiting a nearby urgent care clinic. An urgent care clinic will be able to provide adequate wound treatment. If you want to avoid the possibility of dealing with cut or scraped feet at the beach, consider bringing along a few cheap pairs of sandals or shoes with you.
3. Injuries Sustained from Falling
   
   It’s understandable to feel excited about visiting the beach. Unfortunately, a common beach injury occurs after falling down on the sand. While sand is generally a soft material, your feet and legs can still sustain injuries. For instance, trying to run in the sand can cause you to suffer from a sprained ankle. While this injury is quite common, it’s still understandably painful. If you’ve suffered a sprained ankle while on the beach, visit the closest urgent care facility to receive treatment.
4. Dehydration
   
   Not every beach injury causes immediate physical pain. Another common beach injury occurs when someone becomes dehydrated. It’s commonly thought that dehydration occurs due to a lack of liquids. However, this isn’t necessarily true. For instance, someone could become dehydrated by drinking too much alcohol while being out in the sun for hours. To avoid the possibility of dehydration, bring along plenty of water with you.

To summarize, there are a few types of injuries that commonly occur while you’re at the beach. It’s understandable to wonder whether to visit an emergency room or urgent care center while dealing with these types of injuries. In order to receive treatment for these injuries, you’ll want to visit an urgent care center. While it’s true that nearly 110 million people visit emergency rooms annually, many of these situations are treatable at urgent care facilities. Statistics show that nearly 60% of all urgent care facilities have a wait time that is less than 15 minutes. Therefore, you’ll want to visit an urgent care center to receive fast and efficient injury care.