Sunburn Health Article

Definition

A sunburn is reddening of the skin that occurs after you are exposed to the sun or other ultraviolet light.

Alternative Names

Burn from the sun

Considerations

The first signs of a sunburn may not appear for a few hours. The full effect to your skin may not appear for 24 hours or longer. Possible symptoms include:

• Red, tender skin that is warm to touch.
• Blisters that develop hours to days later.
• Severe reactions (sometimes called "sun poisoning"), including fever, chills, nausea, or rash.
• Skin peeling on sunburned areas several days after the sunburn.

While the symptoms of sunburn are usually temporary (such as red skin that is painful to the touch), the skin damage is often permanent and can have serious long-term health effects, including skin cancer. By the time the skin starts to become painful and red, the damage has been done. The pain is worst between 6 and 48 hours after sun exposure.

In severe sunburns, blistering of the skin may occur. Deaths have resulted from acute sun exposure, and significant temporary disability is experienced by millions of sunburned people each year.