What Is a Sunburn?
Sunburn happens when UV rays from the sun damage the skin. Free radicals are created in the body when you get a sunburn, which is one reason why tissue damage and skin damage occur.
Most atomic orbitals have two electrons. Free radicals are atoms with an odd number of electrons, making them unstable. Free radicals cause a chain reaction because they seek to give or remove molecules to other electrons, causing electrons around them to become unstable. Some free radicals in the body are natural, but too many of them can impact cell membranes, proteins and DNA, causing cell damage.
During a sunburn, your body experiences:
- Dehydration: We all experience loss of moisture through sweat, exhalation and other natural body processes. When we are overexposed to the sun, we may not be replacing fluids quickly enough to account for the loss of hydration in our bodies.
- Creation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and free radicals: The UVB and UVA rays from the sun cause the production of thymine-thymine cyclobutane dimers in our bodies, which damages our DNA. To protect us, our bodies release reactive oxygen species and other inflammatory markers.
- Inflammation: As the body releases inflammatory markers and blood vessels dilate, blood flow improves and immune cells can move to the skin. This process helps address the damage being done, but it also causes the inflammation, redness, and pain of a sunburn not to mention it leads to substantial dehydration.
- Pain: As the body releases inflammatory markers, they enhance heat sensitivity. As the body tries to repair the damage of UV rays, nerve fibers can be activated, which causes a pain response.
- Skin damage: Some skin tissue will peel if it cannot be repaired. Severe sunburns can also cause blistering and long-term damage, including an increased risk of skin cancer.