Sunburn
It’s that time of year again and with the sun coming out, don’t forget that sunscreen.
Those painful days after the weekend at the beach. Red, blistering skin, warm to the touch and painful to the touch! It’s a sunburn and you think “Why did I go to the beach when I could’ve stayed at home, all protected from the sun’s wrath.” This all could have been prevented if you had put sunscreen on. But no, you were thinking “Why do I want to wipe this white gunk all over me?”
A sunburn is when skin tissue is in contact with ultraviolet radiation, or UV rays as it’s commonly know, for an extended amount of time.
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Cause
Sunburn is a reaction of the skin in response to the direct skin cell DNA damage caused by the excitation of UV B rays. UV B rays cause thymine-thymine dimer formations and the the body recognizes this. DNA repair is triggered to revert the damage and increase melanin. Melanin transforms UV-photons into heat. Large amounts of melanin that are noticeable in the skin are called freckles.
Symptoms
Symptoms include reddening of the skin, itching, pain, peeling skin, and blisters. Usually the effects of the sunburn are not felt to two hours later, with the most pain occurring 6 hours later. Peeling of the skin can occur usually 3 – 8 days later. Serious cases can cause blisters, and even more serious cases cause skin-cancer.
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Protection
Sunscreen is the usual the method of protection, depending on its SPF (Sunburn Protection Factor) rating. However, some scientists say that if the sunscreen is absorbed by the skin and not topically applied, it only prevents sunburn but, allows free radicals which can cause malignant melanoma, a skin-cancer. Topically applied sunscreen prevents UV radiation, sunburn, and suntanning.
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Treatment
Usual treatment of a moderate sunburn is the application of Aloe Vera. But serious sunburn cases should seek medical attention immediately.
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