The Dangers of Sunburn and How Best to Avoid Them

The dangers of sunburn have long been known by many for many years. But in order to be more cautious about it, it is important to know the dangers if sunburn and the ABCs of skin protection.

When we talk about sunburn, it is necessary to know about the light rays that are involved. When you go sunbathing or simply walking around daytime without any protection, you just expose your skin to the ultraviolet rays (UV) emitted by the sun.

The UV spectrum is divided into three categories, UVA, UVB, and UVC. The one that should create the biggest health concern are UVA rays. These types of rays are able to penetrate the skin and damage the cells. It even has the potential to cause cell mutation.

That is why if you are fond of staying long hours under the sun, you should know that by 28 years of age the dermal layer (second layer) of the skin slows down its repair and renewal process. Prolonged exposure to these rays will also cause the epidermis to droop and sag creating premature wrinkles. Any damage done will not be remedied easily causing a person to appear older than they really are.

Back in the day UVA was considered to be much safer than UVB, but new research has proven that this ray actually creates more damage to the body than UVB. The intensity of UVA rays are the same the whole year round and can pass through light clothing and windows. They have longer wavelengths which are responsible for 15% of all sunburns.

UVB rays on the other hand passes through the atmosphere and affect the epidermal layer of the skin resulting to sunburn. This is referred to as the tanning ray which is actually strongest in the northern hemisphere.  This is experienced during the summer months or when some areas of the earth tend to become closer to the sun.

The epidermal layers consist of keritoncytes, basal cells and melanocytes. The melanocyte is the one responsible for the production of melanin which results to a tan or in worse cases, a sunburn.

UVC is something that results the least concern because it is absorbed by the earth’s atmosphere, particularly the ozone layer.

All the information that was mentioned above is the reasons why it is important to wear a good sunscreen especially when you want to get a good tan. Sunburn is a temporary sensation and a temporary appearance of the skin, but the damage can last longer.

Severe skin problems that can result from overexposure to UV rays include melanomas (skin cancer) and actinic keratoses (sun induced non-cancerous growths on the forehead, face and hands). In addition to that being repeatedly exposed to sunburn can even result to cataracts and macular degeneration.

To avoid sunburn, it is best to avoid the sun from 10am to 4pm. UVB radiation is most intense during this time. In fact, even overcast days can still be risky for the skin.

Your sunscreen should have an SPF of at least 15. But more to that it is also important that a sunscreen provide substantively.  This will tell you how much protection you can get from the product when outdoors.  For instance when you are swimming or sweating, how much and how often should you reapply the product.  The subcategories that would indicate the substantively include “sweat resistant”, “water-resistant”, and “waterproof”.

For a safer option you can also opt for spray tans instead of spending hours under the sun and risking yourself to sunburn. You can even get the glow that you want all year round more evenly.