7. What exactly is a sunburn? |
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Many of us will have suffered from it personally at one point or another: you have been out in the sun
for too long and a few hours later your skin turns red feeling sore. The beach in particular is a place where this is likely to happen quickly as the cooling sea breeze makes you not realise the strength of the sun. It is still not entirely clear how sunburn (referred to by doctors as ultraviolet erythema) develops exactly. The reddening, however, is known to be the result of a widening of the blood vessels at the surface of the skin. Erythema is a signal that the skin has been exposed to an excessive dose of UV-rays. Responding to this signal therefore means getting out of the sun and no sunbed! It is most certainly a fairy tale to think one has to be sunburnt before a good tan can develop. |
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