skin disorders
Sunburn
Introduction
Sunburn results from a brief (acute) overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. Overexposure to ultraviolet light causes sunburn. Sunburn causes painful reddened skin and sometimes blisters, fever, and chills. People can prevent sunburn by avoiding excessive sun exposure and by using sunscreens. Cold-water compresses, moisturizers, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ease pain until the sunburn heals. (See also Overview of Sunlight and Skin Damage .) The amount of sun exposure required to produce a sunburn varies with the amount of melanin in the skin (usually visible as the amount of pigmentation), the ability to produce more melanin, and the amount of UV light in the sunlight on the day of overexposure. Sunburn results in painful reddened skin. Severe sunburn may cause swelling and blisters. Symptoms may begin as soon as 1 hour after exposure and typically reach their peak within 3 days (usually between 12 hours and 24 hours). Some severely sunburned people develop a fever, chills, and weakness and on rare occasions even may go into Shock (characterized by very low blood pressure, fainting, and profound weakness). Several days after a sunburn, people with naturally fair skin may have peeling in the burned area, usually accompanied by itching. These peeled areas are even more sensitive to sunburn for several weeks. Sunburned skin, particularly peeled sunburned skin, can become infected. Permanent brown spots called lentigines may develop. People who have had severe sunburns when young are at greater risk of skin cancer, particularly Melanoma , in later years, even if they have not been exposed to much sun since that time. People can get sunburned even on cloudy days because light clouds do not filter ultraviolet light. Even sunscreens that are water-resistant need to be reapplied after swimming or sweating. 