What defines a sunburn?

When your skin absorbs ultraviolet rays from the sun or artificial sources like a tanning bed and becomes inflamed, burnt, and damaged. This damage from exposure to UV rays happens because our melanin cells create pigment to defend our skin and skin types with less melanin cells will start to redden and swell instead of getting tan or darkened. It’s important to remember that both tan skin and red/inflamed skin are signs of damage from UV rays.

scrub me secret: You can defend yourself against a burn by wearing protective gear like a hat and/or UPF clothing. we also want to reapply our SPF for every 2 hours that we are in the sun. you’ll still absorb some of that vitamin D we all want without burning or damaging your skin.

How sunburns negatively affect our skin and health

Helpful and important facts brought to us from skincancer.org

• Five or more sunburns more than doubles your risk of developing potentially deadly melanoma

• Research shows that the UV rays that damage skin can also alter a tumor-suppressing gene, giving injured cells less chance to repair before progressing to cancer.

• One or more blistering sunburns in childhood or adolescence more than doubles your chances of developing melanoma later in life.

• Even without a burn, sun exposure raises skin cancer risk. Even if you are tan or your skin type is dark and your skin does not redden, the sun can cause cellular damage that can lead to cancer.

  scrub me secret: You can burn on an overcast day so don’t forget your SPF even on cloudy days. Up to 80 percent of UV rays can come through the clouds!

Sunburns show up differently in different skin types

Skin types that are fair create less melanin so thats why you’ll see a fair skin type redden and visibly burn more quickly. How many melanocytes we have is based on our genetics. Darker skin types are born with more melanocytes and thats why those skin types will tan or darken instead of becoming visibly red. No matter what type of skin you have and how much melanin your skin produces you still need to protect your skin with SPF and protective hats and clothing because whether your skin is red from the sun or darkened from the sun its all damage that we don’t want.

How to remedy a sunburn:

1. Cool your skin as quickly as you can. Give yourself a cool rinse in an indoor or outdoor shower, get in a cold pool or lake, or if you have access to a cool roller you can use that on your sunburnt or tanned skin.

2. If you have access to a hydrating mist like rose water or hydrating face mist, saturate your skin with that.

3. Use a calming cream or calming facial moisturizer. Something lightweight that isn’t an oil or balm. It’s important not to use an oil or shea butter-based item right away because you don’t want to trap any heat in.

   Repeat these steps daily until your skin is repaired. And always remember your SPF!