How Does A Sunburn Develop and What to Do When You Get a Sunburn?

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Summer is in full swing, and with it comes the risk of incorrect tanning becoming a sunburn. Whether someone falls asleep on the beach or neglects sun protection, sunburn can make the summer days set aside for relaxation very unpleasant. The line between a tan and a sunburn varies depending on skin type. People with darker skin are naturally better protected than those with lighter skin. When this line is crossed, a beautiful bronze tan becomes a painful, red burn that can lead to swelling and blistering.

Sunburn occurs as a defensive reaction of the skin to the effects of sun radiation. Although regarded as aesthetically pleasing, it can very easily turn into a sunburn, which is accompanied by unpleasant pain and inflammation.

How does a sunburn develop?

A tan is due to the clever cells that are called melanocytes. These produce the dark pigment melanin when exposed to sunlight. Its main function is to protect cells from damage caused by UV rays.^[1]

Sun radiation damages cells

What kind of damage is being talked about in tanning and sunburn? Sunlight is a source of radiation of different wavelengths. In addition to visible light, which gives you an idea of what the world around you looks like, it also includes infrared radiation, which is known as heat, and ultraviolet radiation, which, although not visible, its effects are well known. In addition, we can further differentiate UV radiation into UVA, UVB and UVC.

UVC is almost completely absorbed by the ozone layer. This is good news because it is this radiation that is used in germicidal lamps for disinfection. It is very well absorbed by the DNA molecule, effectively killing microorganisms.^[2]
UVB is the radiation that causes sunburn on the skin. Although most of it is absorbed by the atmosphere, a small percentage reaches the Earth’s surface. This radiation is also essential for the synthesis of vitamin D. However, its benefit is determined by dose – too much causes extensive DNA damage in skin cells. It also stimulates the production of inflammatory substances.^[3]
UVA accounts for most of the UV radiation that reaches the Earth’s surface. UVA is responsible for sunburn because it penetrates deep beneath the surface of the skin, where the aforementioned melanocytes reside. Like UVC and UCB, UVA is not completely safe in the long term. It is responsible for the production of free radicals that damage proteins, DNA and disrupt signalling pathways, leading to inflammation and cell death.^[4]

What happens to the skin during sun exposure?

UV radiation is therefore responsible for cell damage at the protein and DNA level. This damage occurs either directly or indirectly.

Direct damage is typical for UVB and causes mutations that are repaired in most cases. However, if repair does not occur, the cell must be discarded. Mutated cells that manage to survive may eventually become cancerous.
Indirect damage is caused by oxidative stress due to the formation of free radicals and is also responsible for DNA transcription errors that can lead to skin cancer.

These are the reasons why you need to protect yourself sufficiently from the sun’s rays. The formation of melanin and tanning occurs gradually and simultaneously with skin damage. This damage is already occurring during the tanning process. Unprotected skin is eventually burnt after prolonged exposure to the sun’s rays.

Then what is sunburn?

Prolonged sun exposure without adequate protection stimulates the production of free radicals in the skin, which trigger an inflammatory reaction. This is why sunburnt skin is red and warm. However, this inflammation occurs during the sunbathing process, i.e. even before the sunburn itself, and is responsible for accelerated skin ageing, which is accompanied by thinning of the skin and the formation of wrinkles. Damaged and thinned skin also dehydrates very quickly.^[5]

The inflammatory reaction takes time, and therefore the symptoms of sunburn appear several hours later. The worst pain and redness is typically experienced after 24 hours and the first signs of improvement occur after 48 hours.

A sunburn is most often a first-degree burn. In more severe cases, sunburn can cause second-degree burns that are accompanied by blistering. A third-degree burn is unlikely, but not impossible.

Sunburn is a typical burn, and according to its manifestation, there are three types:

A first-degree burn, which is characterised by reddening of the skin and pain, but relief of symptoms occurs after 2 to 3 days.
A second-degree burn is more severe and is accompanied by blistering. It can take up to 10 days to heal.
A third-degree burn is the most serious and is unlikely to be caused by improper sun exposure. However, it is possible and is accompanied by severe skin damage, blistering and scarring.

Protect yourself from getting burnt

It is best to protect yourself from sunburn with a sunscreen with SPF (sun protection factor). SPF is given as a number representing a fraction of the UV rays it allows through and can be found on sunscreen packaging. For example, an SPF of 30 will allow 1/30, or 3.33%, of UV rays to reach the skin. For SPF 50, the figure is 1/50, or 2%. This means that SPF50 protects 1.65 times better than SPF30. In other words, SPF50 allows 165% less UV radiation through.

An SPF primarily operates on two principles:

The first is chemical, where there is a substance in the sunscreen that is able to absorb UV rays, preventing them from penetrating the skin.
The second is to create a physical barrier, most often with minerals such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.

It is also important, however, to use sunscreen with SPF correctly. It is ideal to put on sunscreen 20 minutes before sunbathing. Not forgetting the face, ears, neck and other places that are often ignored. After an hour or so, it’s a good idea to reapply.

Sunscreen washes off while swimming and despite its water resistance, it is best to apply the cream after swimming. In addition to sunscreen, it’s a good idea to think about protection in the form of sunglasses and headwear such as a hat.

Sunbathing at lunchtime is the most dangerous and is best avoided. Sunlight hitting the ground is most intense at this time because it passes through a thinner layer of the atmosphere. It is poorly absorbed and scattered.

What helps for sunburn?

If you still haven’t managed to avoid getting burnt, there are ways to help yourself. They won’t reverse the damage that has occurred at the cellular level, but they will alleviate symptoms and speed up healing.

The most obvious way is to cool the burned skin with compresses or a cold bath.
It is also advisable to drink plenty of fluids, as the skin is extremely dehydrated.
An optimal amount of sleep should not be forgotten about either. This reduces cortisol levels and thus improves regeneration of damaged skin.
Burns, which are a typical inflammatory process, can also be alleviated by the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen.
After-sun creams containing panthenol, which also has an anti-inflammatory effect, can also help rehydrate the skin.^[6]

Gels and ointments containing aloe vera also have a cooling effect. Although their effect on sunburn has not been scientifically confirmed, they do help with hydrating dry skin.

Normally, a burn takes 3 to 5 days to heal, depending on the intensity. It is not recommended to expose the burned skin to the sun during the healing process. In extreme cases where it is a second-degree burn with blistering, this healing process can take up to two weeks.

Conclusion

What works best for a sunburn? Avoiding it. The painful inflammatory response is what you feel and see. What people forget, however, is the extensive damage beneath the surface of the skin, which poses a much more serious risk than just pain for a few days. Both direct and indirect DNA damage leads to an increased risk of skin cancer, even without sunburn. This is why it is always important to ensure that you have adequate protection when sunbathing. The bonus will not only be a low risk of sunburn and skin cancer, but also slowing down of skin ageing.

How do you protect yourself from sunburn? If you liked this article, we’d love it if you shared it with your family and friends on social media.

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Sources:

[1] Brenner, M. and V.J. Hearing – The protective role of melanin against UV damage in human skin. – https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1751-1097.2007.00226.x

[2] Dai, T., et al. – Ultraviolet C irradiation: an alternative antimicrobial approach to localized infections? – https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1586/eri.11.166

[3] Tang, X., et al. – Current insights and future perspectives of ultraviolet radiation (UV) exposure: Friends and foes to the skin and beyond the skin – https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412024001211?via%3Dihub

[4] Bernerd, F., et al. – The Damaging Effects of Long UVA (UVA1) Rays: A Major Challenge to Preserve Skin Health and Integrity. – https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/15/8243

[5] Ansary, T.M., et al. – Inflammatory Molecules Associated with Ultraviolet Radiation-Mediated Skin Aging. – https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/8/3974

[6] Camargo, F.B., Jr., L.R. Gaspar, and P.M. Maia Campos – Skin moisturizing effects of panthenol-based formulations. – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21982351/