home > diseases, conditions and tests a-z list > sunburn and sun poisoning article

Sunburn and Sun Poisoning

Adult Skin Problems Slideshow Pictures Quiz: Can You Identify These Skin Conditions? Gallery of Skin Problems and Image Collection

Medical Author:

Siamak T. Nabili, MD, MPH

Siamak T. Nabili, MD, MPH

Dr. Nabili received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), majoring in chemistry and biochemistry. He then completed his graduate degree at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His graduate training included a specialized fellowship in public health where his research focused on environmental health and health-care delivery and management.

View Full Profile

Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

View Full Profile

Sunburn and sun poisoning facts

• Sunburn is an inflammation of the skin caused by overexposure to UV radiation from the sun.
  
  
• UV radiation damages the skin and also can damage the eyes.
  
  
• UV rays are most intense at noon and the hours immediately before and after (between 10AM and 3PM).
  
  
• Immediate symptoms of sunburn are hot, red, tender skin; pain when the skin is touched or rubbed; and dehydration; several days after exposure the skin may swell, blister, and peel.
  
  
• Most sunburns are mild and can be treated with home remedies such as applying damp cloths or compresses to reduce the pain, soaking in a tepid bath (with no soap), gently patting the skin dry, applying soothing creams or lotions, OTC pain relievers such as Tylenol or others, and moisturizing the skin.
  
  
• Sunburn may cause permanent skin damage and skin cancer (malignant melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma).
  
  
• UVB as well as UVA rays may cause damage to skin.
  
  
• UV rays may bounce off water, sand, snow, and other surfaces.
  
  
• Some types of skin tan after exposure to UV rays because after repeated or prolonged exposure to UV rays the skin produces more melanin.
  
  
• Persons with certain pigment disorders and individuals with fair skin are at most risk of sunburn.
  
  
• Certain diseases and conditions pose a higher risk of sunburn (for example, albinism, lupus, porphyrias, vitiligo, and xeroderma pigmentosum).
  
  
• Some medications may increase sensitivity to sunburn (photosensitivity).
  
  
• The best way to prevent sunburn is to avoid long exposure to sunlight.
  
  
• Sunscreen and sun-protective clothing are important measures to limit sun damage.
  
  
• Apply sunscreen before going outdoors, apply it liberally, and re-apply frequently.
  
  
• Sun poisoning is caused by severe sunburn; its symptoms include fever, nausea, chills, dizziness, rapid pulse, rapid breathing, dehydration, and shock.
  
  
• Heat stroke is a severe form of hyperthermia that is life-threatening.

What is sunburn?

Sunburn is an inflammation of the skin that is caused by overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. A similar burn can follow overexposure to a "sun" (UV or tanning) lamp. UV radiation can also damage the eyes, although no surface burn is apparent.

Sunburn is a very common condition. In the United States, approximately 30% to 40% of adults and close to 80% of children and adolescents report having at least one sunburn in the preceding year.

Can sunburn cause permanent damage?

Yes. Sunburn early in life increases the risk of developing skin cancer later on. Repeated overexposure to ultraviolet rays can also scar, freckle, dry out, and wrinkle the skin prematurely. In addition, frequent overexposure to ultraviolet rays can increase the risk of developing eye cataracts and macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness.

What is UV light?

UV light is radiation energy in the form of invisible light waves. UV light is emitted by the sun and by tanning lamps.

The sun discharges three types of ultraviolet radiation:

1. ultraviolet A (UV-A),
   
   
2. ultraviolet B (UV-B), and
   
   
3. ultraviolet C (UV-C).

Only UV-A and UV-B rays reach earth. (UV-C does not penetrate the earth's upper atmosphere.)

Although research has long implicated UV-B as the most likely form of UV radiation to damage the skin and cause skin cancer, it is now known that UV-A also can be dangerous. UVB is known to affect the outer layer of skin. UVA is much less intense than UVB, but it is about 50 times more likely than UVB to reach deeper layers of skin to cause sun damage.

Tanning lamps also produce UV-A and/or UV-B. These artificial rays affect the skin in the same way as do UV-A and UV-B from the sun.

When and where are UV rays most intense?

UV rays are most intense at noon and the hours immediately before and after (between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.), particularly in the late spring, summer, and early autumn. Although they are less concentrated at other times of the day and year, UV rays can still damage the skin and eyes - even in the dead of winter and on cloudy or rainy days.

UV rays also increase in intensity in relation to altitude and latitude. The higher the altitude, the greater is the concentration of UV rays. Likewise, the rays are more powerful the nearer to the equator.

UV rays "bounce" off reflective surfaces - including water, sand, and snow. Thus, a skier, swimmer, fisherman, or beachcomber may be bombarded with UV rays from above and below.