sunburnskinA sunburn is a burn to the skin produced by overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, commonly from the sun’s rays. Usual mild symptoms in humans and animals are red or reddish skin that is hot to the touch, general fatigue, and mild dizziness. An excess of UV-radiation can be life-threatening in extreme cases.

Sunburn is associated with microscopic changes to your skin. It is a combination of a burn (which is known as erythema) and indicates a reddening of the skin and edema (which is a swelling). This is caused when you have been exposed under the sun , more specifically the ultraviolet UV radiation that is emitted from the sun.

The sun, however, isn’t the only producer of UV rays; you could also suffer sunburn from exposure to other UV light sources including solaria or tanning salons. As discussed above sunburn is caused by excessive exposure to the sun or other ultraviolet light source. Sunburn occurs because the body is unable to make enough melanin (protective pigment in the skin) to protect the skin. Sunburn may occur in less than 15 minutes of sun exposure for light-skinned persons while it may take hours for a dark-skinned person to develop a sunburn. A big reason for the tan-colored women like me to rejoice.

Sunburn and skin cancer

Ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation causes dangerous sunburns and increases the risk of two types of skin cancer: basal-cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.

In recent years, the incidence and severity of sunburn has increased worldwide, especially in the southern hemisphere, because of damage to the ozone layer. Ozone depletion and the seasonal ozone hole have led to dangerously high levels of UV radiation. Incidence of skin cancer in Queensland, Australia has risen to 75 percent among those over 64 years of age by about 1990, presumably due to thinning of the ozone layer.

UV rays cause changes to the surface and deeper layers of the skin. It reduces the stretchiness of the skin and can cause premature aging and wrinkling, as well as the formation of age spots – but the effects don’t stop here. These rays can go deeper into the skin and change the structure of cells as well as increase the risk of skin cancer. Some of the most common sites when it comes to damage to your skin are the neck, ears, temples, lips, face, and nose.A sunburn is a clear sign that ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun has damaged the genetic material in your skin cells – their DNA.
Damaged DNA can cause cells to start growing out of control. This can lead to skin cancer. Getting a painful sunburn just once every two years can triple the risk of melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer.

Your Lips

Lips, although a part of the skin, do not contain sebaceous glands. The sebaceous glands are responsible for keeping the skin moisturized naturally by secreting an oil called sebum. Therefore the lips are the first to experience dryness, due to climatic changes or from excess exposure to the sun. To prevent your lips from becoming dry, you should apply petroleum jelly before stepping out of the house. This will protect your lips from excessive drying and keep it moist, thus helping it to retain its softness and color.

When you find yourself with dry lips that is itchy, is warm to the touch, and burns like a sunburn, then you have sun-burnt lips. This problem can be experienced due to dehydration, overexposure to the sun, and is usually the allergic reaction a person has when they have sunburns.

Exposure to sunlight may increase the risk of lip cancer, which occurs most often on the lower lip. Avoiding the sun and/or using a sunscreen or colored lipstick on the lips may decrease the risk of lip cancer.

As an organ of the body, the lip can be a focus of disease or show symptoms of a disease:

* Lip herpes (technically Herpes labialis, a form of herpes simplex) is a viral infection which appears in the formation of painful blisters at the lip. It’s also commonly known as a cold sore.
* Carcinoma (a malignant cancer that arises from epithelial cells) at the lips, is caused predominantly by using tobacco and overexposure of sunlight. To a lesser extent, it could also come from lack of oral hygiene or poor fitting dentures. Alcohol appears to increase the carcinoma risk associated with tobacco use.
squamous cell carcinoma.[8][9]

Controversy over sunscreen

The statement that “sunburn causes skin cancer” is adequate when it refers to basal-cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. But it is false when it comes to malignant melanoma (see picture: UVR sunburn melanoma).[10] The statistical correlation between sunburn and melanoma is due to a common cause — the UV-radiation. However, they are generated via two different mechanisms: direct DNA damage is ascribed by many medical doctors to a change in behaviour of the sunscreen user due to a false sense of security afforded by the sunscreen. (Other researchers blame insufficient correction for confounding factors; light skinned individuals versus indirect DNA damage.)

Topically applied sunscreens block the UV rays as long as they do not penetrate into the skin. This prevents sunburn, suntanning, and skin cancer. If however the sunscreen filter is absorbed into the skin it only prevents the sunburn but it increases the amount of free radicals which in turn increases the risk for malignant melanoma. The harmful effect of photoexcited sunscreen filters on living tissue has been shown in many photobiological studies. Whether sunscreen prevents or promotes the development of melanoma depends on the relative importance of the protective effect from the topical sunscreen and the harmful effects of the absorbed sunscreen.

The use of sunscreen is known to prevent the direct DNA damage that causes sunburn and the two most common forms of skin cancer, basal-cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.[15] However, if sunscreen penetrates into the skin, it promotes the indirect DNA damages, which cause the most lethal form of skin cancer, malignant melanoma.[16] This form of skin cancer is rare, but it is responsible for 75% of all skin cancer-related deaths. Increased risk of malignant melanoma in sunscreen users has been the subject of many epidemiological studies.-Wikipedia

Sunscreens labeled with SPFs as high as 100 are now available. Higher numbers do mean more protection, but many people mistakenly think that the SPF scale is linear – for example, that a sunscreen with an SPF 45 rating would give 3 times as much protection as one with an SPF of 15.

This is not true. SPF 15 sunscreens filter out about 93 percent of UVB rays, while SPF 30 sunscreens filter out about 97 percent, SPF 50 sunscreens about 98 percent, and SPF 100 about 99 percent.

The higher you go, the smaller the difference becomes. No sunscreen provides complete protection. Regardless of the SPF, sunscreen should be reapplied about every two hours.

Source: American Cancer Society

Protecting your skin

1. The sun is most intense between 10am and 3pm so limit your sun exposure during these hours.
2. Clouds don’t block UV radiation. To avoid getting burned on overcast days, wear sunscreen.
3. Wear UV filtering sunglasses to protect your eyes.
4. Use lip balm with sunscreen to protect lips from burning.
5. Wear sunscreen when you are swimming in an outdoor pool. You can get a sunburn while swimming.

What to use as a home sunburn relief remedies?

Yogurt

It contains enzymes and acids that can help the sunburn. It might be a bit unpleasant to begin with, but once you apply it, relief comes in minutes. You can either soak a cloth in yogurt, or simply apply it on the area affected by sunburn.

Leave it on until it is dry (which is likely to happen soon after you placed it as the skin exerts high temperature). Rinse it off with cool water and repeat.

Lavender/yogurt remedy

Mix a few drops of lavender oil with yogurt and apply on skin.

Lavender has a soothing effect and diminishes the irritation and redness. Yogurt will cool the skin down, and trust me, you need a relief at times like that.

Cucumber and baking soda

Place chilled cucumber slices on the spots affected by sunburn. Take a bath in warm water in which you have previously added 2 cups of regular baking soda. Baking soda will neutralize any possible infections and prevent further irritation.

Cucumber is an ingredient that can be used for preparation of a facial peel recipe that is recommended as a sunburn home remedy as it nourishes the skin, and stops the inflammation.

Tea tree oil as a home remedy for sunburn

Tea tree oil wonderfully soothes the skin and prevents sunburn itching and peeling. Simply dilute 1 part of tea tree oil with 10 parts of olive oil and dab freely on the skin.

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