I should have known better… I run a health site, avoid the sun but yet… the heavy rains and almost constant cloud cover here in the topics tricked me into believing that I was safe… I was so very wrong.
What is a sunburn?
A sunburn is a torture device created by God to remind all of us the importance of wearing sunblock. I think I would prefer to have my fingernails ripped out one by one then to live with a sunburn for any extended period of time! A sunburn is caused by an overexposure to UV light, most of which comes from the sun – the results are a nice burn… hence sun… burn… sunburn!
Just the symptoms please…
A few hours after getting a sunburn, you will notice your skin is red or a very deep tan depending on how much “overexposure” you received. You may experience some pain and temperature sensitivity to the burned area followed by blisters within a day or two. You will then notice your skin pealing up to several weeks afterwards as a new layer of skin is produced.
I got one… now what?
Basically, the best thing you can do is allow your skin to rest, limit further sun exposure and if you need to, put icy water over your burns… it will numb the pain and speed up the healing process. Expect it to take a few weeks though… sunburns are like in-laws, quick to come over but slow to leave 
How NOT to get one…
Sunburns are the result of human error, if you don’t want to get one, put on tonnes of sunblock and don’t be shy about re-applying it every few hours especially if your are being active. I usually wear pants (track pants if very hot) and long sleeve t-shirt with a large brim hat. Don’t forget to put sunscreen over your ears and lower face/neck as well even with a hat, those places burn nicely if unprotected. Be sure to wear sunglasses as well, UV light can cause eye damage in the future even when not exposed to direct sunlight.
The easiest way I have found to avoid getting burned is to simply wait till the sun goes down before going out and doing your daily tasks. No need for any lotions or protective gear and best of all, it’s usually cooler as well!
Can a sunburn cause cancer?
Why yes they do… but it generally takes repeated exposure to UV light, keep in mind sun tanning beds can cause cancer just as easily as the sun so they are NOT any safer nor alternatives. A tan by UV light is a tan… no matter how it was achieved. A tan is also a symptom of skin damage as well, keep that in mind. The sun is also great at causing premature aging as well, hence why many facial creams have added UVA and UVB blocking ingredients to their mix.
What is the difference between sunblock and sunscreen?
Sunscreen simply absorbs the UV light hitting your skin while sunblock… you guessed it… BLOCKS the UV light from ever getting to your skin in the first place. Sunblock also blocks out both UVA and UVB while sunscreen in general only absorbs UVB. Although labeling is a problem – most people think erroneously that sunscreen and sunblock are the same thing, if in doubt, look at the ingredients. Sunblock will have either titanium dioxide or zinc oxide listed while sunscreen will not. Ingredients that work wonders blocking UVA by the way are aveobenzone (also known as Parsol 1789), oxybenzone or octocrylene. Keep in mind that the words “broad spectrum” also indicate that they block both UVA or UVB light… but be sure to double check the label just to be on the safe side.
The Bottom Line
Sunburns, unlike the weather, are predictable and avoidable.
Recent Comments