To understand sunburn, you need to know how ultraviolet rays excite inflammation

People have been trying to protect their skin from the sun for at least a period of ancient Egyptians, and we knew More than a century UV exposure (UV) is associated with burns and skin cancer. But often there is still confusion about the best way to avoid sunburn, whether you can treat it and the amount of burning increases the risk of cancer. Understanding what the sunburn contains at the cellular level, it can help.

“Sunburn is an inflammatory reaction,” he says. Leslie Rhodes At the University of Manchester, UK. This occurs when ultraviolet radiation is harmful to sunlight, proteins, fats and DNA in the cells inside the upper layer of the skin, known as the skin, and a series of inflammatory effects that lead to redness, swelling, pain and exfoliation are released.

UVB radiation leads to most of this damage, while UVA rays, which have a longer wavelength and penetrate the skin, contribute much less. UVB, as a rule, says more effective 1000 times than UVA in causing sunburn, “says UVB. Anthony Young At King’s College London.

In response to ultraviolet damage, skin cells release molecules that stretch the blood vessels in the dermis, the skin layer under the skin. This promotes blood flow to the skin within a few hours. In turn, this enhances the infiltration of immune cells from blood to the skin, which leads to increased inflammation.

In people with lighter skin shades, the growing blood flow gives the skin with a pink or red burning. Those who have dark skin tones may see their skin change to Various shades of red, gray, brown and black. High blood supply also means more fluid leakage from blood to the skin, causing swelling. Each of the swelling and infections stimulates nerves, making the sun burned in the sun feels heat and pain.

In severe cases, it can also happen, as spots of skin cells in the skin become so damaged that they are self -destructive. Since these dead spots are lifted away from the layers under it, the distance between the liquid becomes filled with fluid, and the bubbles similar structures on the skin.

How to heal the burned skin in the sun?

“The moderate sunburn will come quickly more quickly than extreme burning, when the effects can last for 72 hours or more,” says Rhodes.

Healing begins when immune cells in the skin begin to produce anti -inflammatory molecules, usually within a few days after exposure to UV rays. “It is a self -solving inflammation,” says Rhodes. “Various molecules and cells develop over time and are transmitted from an insult to an anti -inflammatory condition.” As a result, the blood vessels stop expansion, any redness, swelling and pain gradually decline.

Stem cells at the bottom of the skin also enhance healing by producing new skin cells more quickly than usual. This replaces the damaged, which has tasted or exfoliates from the surface of the skin in large sheets to make room for new growth. “You always prevent the skin, but the damage to UV rays enhances cell rotation,” says Young.

Unfortunately, there is no good quality evidence that the application of gels after tennis or aloe vera can accelerate the healing of the burned skin, says Rhodes. All of these preparations are to relieve pain by providing a cooling feeling. Taking cold shower, applying cold vanilla to the skin and using pain relievers such as paracetamol (acetaminophen) or ibuprofen can help in it.

What are the long -term effects?

Once the inflammation passes and the damaged cells are eliminated on the surface of the skin, the sun’s burns are over. But the DNA damage to the stem cells is deeper inside the skin can have a much longer legacy.

“You get DNA damage, DNA damage is repaired by cells, but repair is not 100 percent ideal,” says Young. This results in genetic mutations and when this traffic accumulates over time in the genes that regulate cell growth and cell division, they increase the risk of skin cells in an irreplaceable way and cause cancer.

Some studies indicate that the experience of five sunburn in a decade More than double the risk of skin cancerA form of skin cancer. However, these studies depend on people who remember the number of times they have been burned, which are errors. This makes it difficult to determine the amount of one example of sunburn that provokes the risk of developing your skin cancer, says Young.

What are the best ways to prevent sunburn?

The pigment gives the skin to melanin some protection because it surrounds the DNA in the skin cells, protected from UV damage. For this reason, people with dark skin shades have a much lower risk of skin cancer than people with lighter skin types – but this does not mean that dark skin cannot develop damage and develop sunburn and DNA.

If you are trying to determine the risk of combustion on a specific day, you need to measure the UV index, which is a measure of ultraviolet radiation. Rachel Abbott At Wales University Hospital in Cardiff, he says you must apply sunscreen when the indicator is 3 or higher. In general, the UV Index is unlikely to exceed 3 in the early or evening, or between October and March in the United Kingdom. But UV rays are stronger than the equator, as sunscreen may be needed at any time of the year. Fortunately, it should not be guessing – there is a lot of free Applications The local UV index can tell you. “I use one every day.”

Most people do not apply sunscreen to its thickness that is tested – 2 milligrams per square centimeter of leather – to the extent that young says that choosing a sunscreen SPF 50 as a default preparation may be a good idea.

But one of the best ways to avoid sunburn is to stay outside the sun when it is higher in the sky. In the United Kingdom, this ranges between 11 am and 3 pm, while the United States has a longer window from 10 am to 4 pm. During this period, sunlight takes a shorter path across the atmosphere, which means that UVB radiation is absorbed less than air and hit your skin. If you are outside, wearing a hat and clothes with long sleeves can reduce your risk.

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