Peeling skin following sunburn is a sign that you have caused serious and perhaps lasting damage to your skin. Though unsightly and sometimes painful, peeling is the body's way of protecting itself. You can't stop the peeling, but you can support the skin's natural healing process and, more importantly, you can prevent it from happening again.
Protection Mechanism
Sunburn is UV radiation damage. It happens when the amount of UV exposure you receive exceeds your body's ability to shield the skin with melanin, the skin's protective pigment. Skin cells severely damaged by radiation could turn cancerous, so your body induces them to self-destruct before this can happen. Peeling indicates that a whole layer of skin cells has suffered serious damage and has followed the embedded instructions to commit suicide.
Risk Factors
Some people are more likely to suffer UV radiation damage and subsequent peeling. People with fair skin, infants and young children have less protective melanin and are more likely to burn. The time of day makes a difference too. The sun's rays are most intense between the hours of 10 am and 4 pm. The surrounding environment also plays a role. The sun's effects are greater at higher altitudes and locations closer to the tropics. Reflection off surfaces such as water, snow or sand can intensify UV radiation.
Impact
The layer of skin cells underneath the peeled layer often is damaged by the overexposure. The sun can impair the built-in defense mechanism that normally cues them to self-destruct if damaged. This means that the next time you spend too long in the sun, the skin will not be able to protect itself through peeling. Skin damage is cumulative over a lifetime and cells damaged in childhood often are the root cause of skin cancer later in life.
Treatment
As soon as you realize you've had too much sun, take a cool shower or bath to soothe the damaged areas and slow the peeling process. Cover any blisters with dry bandages to prevent infection. Drink extra water to give your skin the moisture it needs to repair itself. As the healing process progresses, resist the urge to pull peeling portions of your skin because you will expose unhealed skin underneath that is vulnerable to infection. Instead, use a small pair of scissors to remove loose skin pieces at the point of attachment. Use cream-style moisturizers to help nourish the skin, but avoid those with glycolic or lactic acid.
Prevention
The best way to avoid sun damage and peeling skin is to stay out of the sun, but that's not always practical. You may think clothing will protect you, but in fact cloth only provides a sun protection factor, SPF of 4. Use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 all over your body for best protection. If you have thin or balding hair, be sure to wear a hat to protect the top of your head.
Warning Signs
People sometimes die of overexposure to the sun, so pay attention to the warning signs of a serious reaction. If you experience any of the following symptoms, seek medical help immediately: severe blisters, dizziness, rapid pulse, rash chills, nausea, extreme thirst, sunken eyes, chills, rash, no urine output, light sensitivity or pale, clammy or cool skin.
