1. Sunburn: A Type of Radiation Damage
A sunburn is the most common form of radiation damage. It's caused by the sun, a big star that gives off energy in the form of ultraviolet (UV) light. UV light from the sun can be classified into three groups: UVC, UVB and UVA. UVC light gets stopped by the Earth's clouds, so it doesn't reach us. Neither does most UVB light. About 95% of the sunlight that reaches the Earth's surface is UVA. It penetrates more deeply into the skin than UVB light, even though it's a thousand times less potent. When the skin is exposed to enough UVA rays, histamine and other inflammatory substances are released into the skin making it red and sore.
2. Makes You Look Older Faster
Sunburns accelerate the aging of the skin in a process called photoaging. UVA skin damage weakens the connective tissue of the skin so it loses its elasticity and strength. The end result is dry, rough, thinner skin with deeper wrinkles. Repeated sunburns or prolonged sun exposure is also a cause of unsightly liver spots, or solar lentigines, on your chest, upper back, faces, arms and the back of your hands. Sunburns can cause white lesions, or macules, on your lower arms and legs or fine red vein lines on your face and ears.
3. Causes Precancerous Scales or Crusty Bumps
You might want to look a little closer if you discover rough, scaly spots or crusty bumps of skin in sun-exposed areas of your body. It could be a sign that you have actinic keratoses, also called solar keratoses. Actinic keratoses can vary in color from brown to dark brown patches, to white, pink or flesh-colored spots. Fair-skinned people are more likely to get actinic keratoses, and the spots will usually appear on lower arms, backs of hands, ears and face. Forty percent of untreated actinic keratoses lead to cancer if not treated. Treatment includes topical medications, surgical removal, cryosurgery, lasers and chemical peels.
4. Reducing the Pain
It's best to avoid getting a sunburn by wearing a sunblock with a SPF factor of 15 or higher all year around. You should also wear a hat and protective clothing, and avoid the sun when it's the strongest, between 10am and 2pm. If you do get burned, you can relieve the pain by applying cold compresses, taking some over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications like acetaminophen and applying an Aloe vera lotion or hydrocortisone cream to decrease swelling.
5. When to See a Doctor
See a doctor if none of the self-care techniques help relieve the pain of your sunburn or if you have a high fever, diarrhea or vomiting. Get medical help if you have blisters over a large part of your body or you see any sign of infection, like pus oozing from an open blister or increased swelling and tenderness.
