How sunburn occurs

Today we are going to get into the subject of sun and summer. We will talk about the harmful effects of the sun on the skin and how we should protect ourselves from them. Surely, like us, you are looking forward to the sun's rays appearing more intensely and you miss the beach, the sun, the heat and being able to remove layers of clothing to go outside. So that summer does not catch you off guard, we want to give you some advice when it comes to going out in the sun and, above all, doing so with awareness of how and why we should protect our skin .

Types of solar radiation and their effects

UVA rays are capable of penetrating deeply into the skin , causing alterations in proteins, cell membrane structures and DNA. They are responsible for tanning, but also for the aging process, wrinkles and skin spots. They are also the type of radiation used in solarium cabins.

UVB rays, on the other hand, only penetrate the most superficial layers, causing alterations in cellular DNA , damaging its structure and causing various types of cancer and other pathologies.

How do sunburns occur?

A sunburn basically consists of an attempt by our immune system to respond to an excessive effect suffered by solar radiation on the skin cells.

When keratinocytes, which are the cells of the outermost layer of the skin, detect damage to their DNA, they send information to our immune system to produce a cascade of reactions that will try to defend itself against such an attack. Among them is the vasodilation of the skin's capillaries, which causes an increase in blood flow and the accumulation of extracellular fluid and an entire inflammatory process that will make our skin red, hot, sore and hypersensitive. If the damage is very great, we can suffer heatstroke, with systemic symptoms, such as headaches, nausea or low-grade fever, which can become a serious process.

Burned skin, in addition to being red and painful, may present other symptoms and signs such as itching and later peeling and even vesicles or blisters with fluid. All of this is part of the defense and regeneration mechanism of our skin, which lets dead cells fall, revealing thinner, more sensitive skin underneath and part of the liquid that has seeped into the skin .

Skin phototype, what is mine?

First of all, we will make it clear what phototype is. These are the innate characteristics that our skin has in terms of its ability to adapt and tolerate solar radiation. That is, what determines whether a skin tans or not, to what degree it does so and how much it burns with the same sun exposure .

This ability to “buffer” the effects of the sun's rays is related to melanocytes, which are cells with the ability to accumulate melanin pigment. The greater this capacity, the greater the skin phototype. There are 6 phototypes , each of which can be included in one or the other according to the characteristics indicated here:

Phototype I : this is the type of skin most sensitive to the sun. Its ability to synthesize melatonin is very low, so it has almost no pigment and burns very quickly. These are people with very light, milky-looking skin, who tend to have very light redheads or blondes, blue eyes, and a tendency to have freckles on their skin.

Phototype II: these people burn easily and intensely, although they can become slightly pigmented in gentle exposures and with protection . They normally have light skin, blonde hair, blue eyes and sometimes freckles.

Phototype III: the skin in this photo tends to pigment correctly in the sun, burning moderately in intense exposures. These are normally Caucasian people with different colors of eyes and hair, light skin if not exposed but tanned in summer.

Phototype IV: these people already innately have dark-looking skin and intense or dark brown eyes and hair. They burn moderately or minimally depending on the circumstances and are easy to pigment and tan quickly and intensely.

Phototype V: this type of skin rarely burns. It pigments almost immediately with sun exposure and is suitable for people with brownish skin and dark hair and eyes.

Phototype VI: these are people whose skin color is very dark or black. They never burn when exposed to the sun, except if they present some lesion or anomaly on the skin, pigmenting immediately when exposed to the sun. They have dark eyes and black hair.

How do I know if I'm burning?

The sunburn process begins while we are exposed to radiation , but its intensity increases approximately one hour after stopping sunbathing, reaching a maximum of activity 24-48 hours later, which is why we usually present more pain and redness on the days precisely after a burn.

This is why it is sometimes difficult or almost impossible to detect whether we are burning or not, especially on days when the sun "deceives" us since when it is cloudy we can have a very high radiation index.

When we are in the sun and we begin to notice some heat and redness, it is usually too late and the burn, even if it is mild, has already occurred, damaging our skin cells to a greater or lesser extent.

Therefore, we should not be overconfident and whenever we expose ourselves to the sun we should do so with protection and taking into account factors such as the radiation index, our skin phototype, exposure time, etc. We will now talk about all this in more detail.

Why is sun protection so important?

As we already know, our skin has mechanisms to alleviate this damage, although they are not always completely sufficient or effective. It is at this moment, when our skin fails to properly repair cellular DNA, that it leads to the production of precancerous cells, which can be the focus of a future tumor.

In addition to skin cancer, there are other types of lesions that are also the result of solar radiation and that can be harmful. We must not forget that UVA and UVB rays produce alterations in addition to DNA, proteins and other elements of the skin, attacking its structure and accelerating its aging process, which is why a very intense tan is also synonymous with dark skin. more damaged.

For all this, at theCosmethics we consider that health comes first, so above all, we must think about maintaining healthy and cared for skin, so prevention and the application of photoprotection must be constant every time we go out in the sun.

Taking this into account and that everyone has a different skin phototype, below we will give you some instructions to carry out your personalized sun protection routine.

What does sun protection factor mean and imply?

Therefore, a higher protection factor is not always synonymous with a greater capacity to prevent radiation from damaging our skin, but rather indicates the time that this “protective” effect will last against UVB radiation, hence the importance of reapply cream frequently.Even so, in light skin that is very sensitive to the sun, a high SPF is recommended to ensure continued protection and prevent ultraviolet rays from causing damage to the skin cells, since these are skins in which these effects are noticeable more quickly. .

What sunscreen should I choose?

First of all, what we have to do is choose a good sunscreen, with a high and sufficient SPF for our phototype and also one that is respectful of our skin, especially if it is sensitive skin. For us, there are three protection products that should not be missing in your toiletry bag: facial , lip and body protector. The correct combination of them during the different times of the day and year will make your skin much more protected from the sun than if you only used one of them.

As we already explained, a sunscreen can have 3 types of sunscreens : chemical, physical and/or biological (the latter normally used as adjuvants to the former). In natural and organic cosmetics, both physical and biological filters are used. Physical filters are mineral agents (such as titanium dioxide or zinc oxide) that provide a barrier that reflects the sun's rays. Like almost any product, they also have their contraindications and they tend to be thicker creams and some people may experience dry skin or hypersensitivity to these substances, although these are not very common effects.

Even so, we want to influence you to choose the product you choose, you must check that it is sufficient and effective and above all, if you are going to sunbathe, it is always better to apply something than nothing.

How to protect your skin from the sun during the year

On a daily basis and especially during autumn and winter, we do not usually sunbathe or expose most of our body to its effects. Therefore, the type of protection applied is usually different. If your skin is very light and has phototype I or II, it will still need light protection, especially on days when we spend many hours outside or go out to play some outdoor sport. Using a face cream and lip balm with SPF15 will be enough to go outside for a little while. Of course, make several applications if you are going to be away for a long time. If, on the other hand, your skin is darker and does not tend to burn, it will normally not need additional protection, except on days with a lot of exposure or outdoor activities, as in phototypes I and II.

During the first days of intense sunshine of the spring-summer season, we must exercise extreme caution. First of all, we should not sunbathe the entire body or for a long time. We will do a gradual exposure and apply protection. To do this, we will use a product with a high SPF and make reapplications every so often, taking into account our skin phototype. Furthermore, even if we do not sunbathe freely, we should also apply a protective cream to the face and other exposed areas such as shoulders, legs or arms. If we go out for a walk, play sports or another activity, we must also use some type of barrier such as hats, caps, glasses or cool clothing, avoiding direct and prolonged exposure.

Summer is coming, how can we protect ourselves? It's summer and we want to sunbathe at the pool, the beach or the garden. How do I protect myself? First of all, we should not be in a hurry to get a tan and we should remember that slightly golden and healthy skin at the end of summer will always be better than one that is burned, damaged and full of marks due to the effect of the sun. We will sunbathe gradually, as we already said and applying protection according to our phototype. We should not do it for long periods of time and we will avoid the central hours of the day, when the radiation is greater.

We must also emphasize frequent reapplications, especially after bathing or drying with a towel and insisting on sensitive or rubbing areas of clothing, such as the groin.

Conclusions

Before saying goodbye to this intense post that you can use as a protection guide for this year, we would like to make a small aside to remember the importance of the sun. And although we have to be careful to protect our skin, its light also has positive effects on our health, without which our life and that of the planet would not be possible . Among them we want to remember that it is necessary for the synthesis of vitamin D by our body and it also helps us produce serotonin and thus maintain a good mood and rest better. That is why it is important to go outside every day, for a walk or do any other activity. If we are prudent and act accordingly when exposing ourselves to the sun, we will find the perfect balance so that it is more beneficial than harmful to us.