| Sunburn | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A sunburnt neck | |
| Specialty | Dermatology |
| Complications | Skin cancer |
| Risk factors | Working outdoors, skin unprotected by clothes or sunscreen, skin type, age |
| Prevention | Use of sunscreen, sun protective clothing |
| Treatment | Avoiding further exposure to the sun. Cool, frequent baths or showers for pain relief. Anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen or aspirin can also help with pain. Drinking water to stay hydrated. |
Sunburn is a form of radiation burn that affects living tissue, such as skin, that results from an overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, usually from the Sun. Common symptoms in humans and other animals include red or reddish skin that is hot to the touch or painful, general fatigue, and mild dizziness. Other symptoms include blistering, peeling skin, swelling, itching, and nausea. Excessive UV radiation is the leading cause of (primarily) non-malignant skin tumors,[1][2] which in extreme cases can be life-threatening. Sunburn is an inflammatory response in the tissue triggered by direct DNA damage by UV radiation. When the cells' DNA is overly damaged by UV radiation, type I cell-death is triggered and the tissue is replaced.[3]
Sun protective measures like sunscreen and sun protective clothing are widely accepted to prevent sunburn and some types of skin cancer.[4] Special populations, including children, are especially susceptible to sunburn and protective measures should be used to prevent damage.[5]
- ^ World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer "Do sunscreens prevent skin cancer" Archived 26 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine Press release No. 132, 5 June 2000
- ^ World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer "Solar and ultraviolet radiation" Archived 29 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans, Volume 55, November 1997
- ^ Sunburn at eMedicine
- ^ Maslin, Douglas L. (November 2014). "Do suncreens protect us?". International Journal of Dermatology. 53 (11): 1319–1323. doi:10.1111/ijd.12606. PMID 25208462. S2CID 205188894.
- ^ Dusza, Stephen W.; Halpern, Allan C.; Satagopan, Jaya M.; Oliveria, Susan A.; Weinstock, Martin A.; Scope, Alon; Berwick, Marianne; Geller, Alan C. (February 2012). "Prospective Study of Sunburn and Sun Behavior Patterns During Adolescence". Pediatrics. 129 (2): 309–317. doi:10.1542/peds.2011-0104. ISSN 0031-4005. PMC 3269110. PMID 22271688.