system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Why do paler people burn instead of tan?

If more melanin is produced during sun exposure, and more melanin makes you darker. What's the cause of the Redness caused by sun burns? Why does it seem that some people never tan only burn?
gpt
The redness is _erythema_, a manifestation of inflammation. Another manifestation is pain and swelling, and the desquamation (peeling) that often results. The melanin-creating response to sun exposure takes more time than UV damage resulting in sunburn.

Another thing to consider is that many fair people are red-headed; they tend to produce more _pheomelanin_, which is lighter and pinker, than _eumelanin_, which is dark brown. Pheomelanin provides less protection than eumelanin.