This is what happens to your skin when you get sunburned

Sunburned skin is a bad sign. It doesn’t just tell you that you’ve done a bad job taking care of your skin in the sun. It also significantly increases the risk of developing skin cancer.

Many gets sloppy with protection against sunrays. Perhaps is it laziness, or the desire for a golden tan trumps common sense. Regardless, the risk is the same when the damage happens at you get sunburned.

Why do you get sunburned?

When your skin is exposed to sunrays, a reaction takes place. The coloring pigment melanin is already in your skin, and this will start tanning when the rays hit. Additionally, the production of melanin increases, and you will get slightly thicker skin more suitable to protect against the sun. If you’re not careful about which and how many of the UV-rays gets to penetrate your skin, you will risk getting a burn. Sunburn is classified as a first-degree burn. The inflammation-like reaction happens because the skin isn’t able to produce enough melanin to keep the skin protected against the UV-rays.

Symptoms of sunburn:

• Redness, swelling and pain
• Blisters and wounds
• Reduced general health with fever, headache and tiredness

Many of us have experienced a light sunburn. Often time, it is not noticeable at first and by staying in the sun after the sunburn has started, you risk increasingly risk of more severe damage. A light redness is often the first symptom, perhaps followed by feeling warm and some pain as the hours pass by. More serious cases may cause blisters and pain. Serious sunburn may develop to both second- and third-degree burn.

This makes you extra prone to sunburn:

• White skin
• Strong sun early in the season
• Lack of sun protection factor
• Some medicine

White skin has less sun protection than darker skin. This is also the reason why you get sunburned more easily early in the season. Through regularly sun exposure you increase the tolerance of sunrays. By using sun protection factor you also increase the time you can spend in the sun without getting burned, and for that reason it is important to use SPF all year. The sun is strongest during summer, and especially midday. Still, sunrays reach the earth’s surface all year around and it is therefore important that you don’t let your skin get direct sunrays on it without protecting it.

Sunshine is a necessity

Your skin needs to get sunrays. This is due to your skin’s inability to produce D-vitamin without it. Vitamin D is important for healthy development of skeleton in kids and is crucial for a normal and healthy bone structure throughout life. D-vitamin is also important for an efficient calcium and phosphorus uptake and contributes to healthy bones, muscle function and immune system.

Vitamin D deficiency can make you sick

Too low D-vitamin levels are not good for your health. In the northern sphere there is less sun exposure throughout the year and therefore more common to have deficiency diseases related to it. This can increase the risk of osteoporosis and rickets. Typical symptoms for vitamin D deficiency is:

• Pain in muscles and joints
• Sleepiness
• General tiredness

Get tan without getting burned

Sun protection factor is the key to avoid getting a sunburn. It might feel like it takes ages to get a tan when you keep the damaging rays away. But you don’t have to dedicate hours a day to be laying around just soaking sunrays to get a tan. The dietary supplement Royal Tan gives you a solid dose of beta carotene, which gives your skin a golden tan that lasts longer. In addition, the supplement holds black carrot, an ingredient that prevents you from getting that orange color beta carotene alone often causes. Royal Tan holds several active ingredients beneficial for your skin, hair and nails too. Read more about Royal Tan here.

• See also: All you need to know about beta carotene