Sunburn explainer

28/02/2022.

You’ve probably heard it said that the main cause of melanomas is too much sun exposure and many of us are familiar with the painful red skin, blisters and peeling that follow too much time in the sun. But what actually happens in the skin during a sunburn?

Sunburn is a radiation burn, caused when the ultraviolet (UV) rays of sunlight discharge too much energy into skin and damage DNA in the upper layer of skin cells. When absorbed by DNA, the extra energy causes some of the DNA chain to link up incorrectly. This interferes with accurate DNA copying, so cells start repairs to try to fix the mistakes. 

Keep reading at Sunburn explainer.