Sunburn – Symptoms and Causes

Overview

Sunburn is red, painful skin that feels hot when touched. It usually appears within hours after too much sun exposure.

Sunburn relief comes from simple home care like pain medications and cooling the skin. However, the redness and pain may last for several days before fading completely.

Protecting your skin from the sun is necessary throughout the year, not just during summer. Sunscreen and protective measures matter even on cloudy or cool days when UV rays can still damage skin.

People with fair skin need extra caution, but everyone should practice sun safety to prevent painful burns and reduce long-term skin damage risks.

Signs of Sunburn

Sunburn can show up on the skin in several ways.

People with lighter skin might see pink or red areas, while those with darker skin tones may notice less obvious color changes.

The burned skin often feels warm or hot when touched and may cause pain, tenderness, and itching. Swelling is also common in sunburned areas.

Some sunburns can produce small blisters filled with fluid, which might break open. Severe sunburns can cause other symptoms like headaches, fever, nausea, and feeling very tired.

Your eyes might also feel painful or gritty if they get too much sun exposure.

Any part of your body that’s exposed to the sun can get burned, including earlobes, scalp, and lips. Even areas covered by thin clothing can burn if the fabric doesn’t block UV light well.

Most sunburn symptoms show up within a few hours after being in the sun.

Your body will try to heal itself by peeling off the damaged top layer of skin within a few days. Bad sunburns might take longer to heal. Any skin color changes usually fade with time.

When To Get Medical Help

See a doctor if you:

• Develop large blisters
• Have blisters on your face, hands, or genital areas
• Notice severe swelling where you’re burned
• See signs of infection (blisters with pus or red streaks)
• Experience worsening pain, headache, confusion, nausea, fever, or chills
• Find your sunburn gets worse despite home treatment
• Have eye pain or vision changes

Seek emergency care immediately if your sunburn comes with:

• Fever above 103°F (39.4°C) with vomiting
• Confusion
• Signs of infection
• Dehydration
• Cold skin, dizziness, or feeling faint

Causes

Sunburn occurs when skin gets too much ultraviolet (UV) light exposure. This harmful light can come from the sun or artificial sources like tanning beds and sunlamps.

UV light affects the skin in different ways:

• UVA Rays: Penetrate deep into skin layers, causing long-term damage.
• UVB Rays: Affect outer skin layers and directly cause sunburn.

When UV light damages skin cells, the body’s immune system responds by increasing blood flow to the injured areas. This increased blood flow creates the red, inflamed skin (erythema) we recognize as sunburn.

Remember that sunburn can happen even in unexpected conditions:

• On cloudy or cool days
• When UV rays reflect off surfaces like water, sand, or snow

These reflecting surfaces can actually intensify UV exposure, making it possible to get sunburned even when you’re not in direct sunlight.

Risk Factors

Several factors can increase your chances of getting sunburned:

• Fair skin and red hair
• Past sunburns
• Living in sunny, warm, or high-altitude areas
• Outdoor work
• Wet skin (from swimming or sprays)
• Drinking alcohol while outdoors
• Regular exposure to unprotected UV light (from the sun or tanning beds)
• Taking medications that increase sun sensitivity

People with lighter skin tones burn more easily than those with darker skin. Your risk also goes up if you spend time outdoors during peak sun hours (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) without proper protection.

Remember that clouds don’t block all UV rays, so you can still get sunburned on cloudy days.

Health Risks from Excess Sun Exposure

Too much sun makes your skin age faster. When UV rays hit your skin often, they break down important tissues. This leads to skin that looks older than it should. You might see deep wrinkles and dry, rough patches.

Many people also develop tiny red veins on their face and shoulders. Freckling becomes more common, especially on the face. Dark spots (sometimes called sun spots) can appear on your hands, arms, face, and upper back.

Early Warning Skin Spots

Rough, scaly patches can form on sun-damaged skin. Doctors call these actinic keratoses. They often show up on the head, face, neck, and hands of people who burn easily.

These spots aren’t cancer yet, but they can turn into skin cancer if left untreated. They serve as warnings that your skin has taken too much sun damage.

Cancer Risk

Sun exposure harms your skin cells’ DNA, even without burning. This damage raises your risk for all types of skin cancer, including dangerous melanoma. Childhood and teen sunburns seem especially harmful, possibly increasing melanoma risk later in life.

Skin cancer typically appears in places that get the most sun:

• Face and scalp
• Neck and ears
• Chest and back
• Arms and hands
• Legs

Warning signs to watch for:

• New growths on your skin
• Sores that don’t heal properly
• Changes in moles (size, color, or shape)
• Spots that bleed easily or keep coming back

See your doctor right away if you notice these changes.

Harm to Your Eyes

UV light doesn’t just hurt your skin—it damages your eyes too. Too much sun exposure can harm your cornea (the clear front part of your eye).

Over time, UV damage to your eye’s lens can cause cataracts, making your vision cloudy.

When eyes get sunburned, they often feel:

• Painful
• Gritty or sandy
• Extra sensitive to light

This eye sunburn (sometimes called snow blindness) can come from different sources of UV light, including the sun, tanning beds, and certain types of lamps.

Preventing Sunburn

Sunburn can happen even when it’s cloudy, cool, or hazy outside. Remember that clouds only filter about 20% of harmful UV rays.

Be especially careful around reflective surfaces like water, snow, concrete, and sand, which bounce sunlight back onto your skin. Higher altitudes also increase UV intensity.

Key Prevention Strategies

Avoid peak sun hours (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) when solar radiation is strongest. Try to plan outdoor activities for early morning or late afternoon.

If you must be outside during these hours, limit your exposure time and find shade whenever possible.

Skip tanning beds and sun tanning. Getting a “base tan” doesn’t protect you from sunburn. If you use self-tanning products for a bronzed look, still apply sunscreen before going outdoors.

Use sunscreen properly:

• Choose water-resistant, broad-spectrum products with SPF 30 or higher
• Apply 30 minutes before going outside
• Use about 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) to cover exposed skin
• Reapply every 2 hours, or more often when swimming or sweating
• For spray sunscreens, spray into hands first, then apply to avoid inhalation
• Keep sunscreen away from open flames

Broad-spectrum sunscreens protect against both UVA and UVB rays. An SPF 30 product blocks about 97% of UVB rays. No sunscreen can block 100% of UV radiation.

Sunscreen Storage Tips:

Guideline	Details
Check expiration	Discard expired products
Storage life	Throw away after 3 years
Storage conditions	Follow label instructions

For babies and toddlers, use brimmed hats and lightweight clothing that covers arms and legs. Keep them in the shade when possible and ensure they stay hydrated.

For children under 6 months, clothing and shade are best. If these aren’t available, products with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide are safer choices.

Wear protective clothing. Cover up with:

• Wide-brimmed hats
• Long-sleeved shirts
• Long pants
• Sun umbrellas

Dark-colored clothing with tight weaves offers better protection. Consider specialized sun-protective clothing with UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) ratings. The higher the UPF number, the better the protection.

Choose sunglasses that block both UVA and UVB rays. Check the UV rating on the label – darker lenses don’t always mean better protection. Sunglasses that fit close to your face or have wraparound frames provide better coverage.

Be aware of medications that increase sun sensitivity. Some common drugs can make your skin more reactive to sunlight, including:

• Certain antibiotics
• Pain relievers like ibuprofen
• Cholesterol medications
• Skincare products with alpha-hydroxy acids

Talk with your healthcare provider or pharmacist about potential photosensitivity from medications you take.

Understanding SPF Numbers

SPF (Sun Protection Factor) tells you how much longer you can stay in the sun without burning compared to using no protection.

For example, if your unprotected skin normally burns in 10 minutes, an SPF 30 product theoretically extends that time to 300 minutes (10 × 30).

However, this calculation assumes perfect application and doesn’t account for activities like swimming or sweating. That’s why reapplication every two hours is essential regardless of the SPF number.

Most experts recommend using SPF 30 or higher for adequate protection. Higher SPF products offer slightly more protection, but no sunscreen blocks 100% of UV rays:

• SPF 15 blocks about 93% of UVB rays
• SPF 30 blocks about 97% of UVB rays
• SPF 50 blocks about 98% of UVB rays

Remember that physical blockers like titanium oxide and zinc oxide provide the most effective protection for sensitive skin. Apply these over other skin products but under insect repellent.