Sunburn is the condition in with the epidermis cells of the skin get damaged by the radiation from the ultraviolet rays from the sun. The effect of sunburns depend on the how hot the sun is, and how long a person has stayed exposed to the sun. If the case is too severe as in the desert, it may cause death. There are 14 deaths reported all over the world caused by severe sunburns according to world health organization statistics of 2010.
Sunburn affects people with light skin, for dark skinned people, sunburn can only occur after very long exposure to severely hot sun rays. The albinos are the most vulnerable to sunburns because they don’t have the protection of melanin in their skin. Children are also more affected than adults because their skins are softer. The ultraviolet rays are usually strongest and more harmful around the summer season when the sun is overhead.
Symptoms of sunburn may include the more visible redness, swelling and blistering of the skin to the invisible symptoms such as pain, fever, general weakness of the body and dehydration.
Sunburns can only be prevented using sunscreens which contain varied sun protection factors (SPF) usually labeled on the container. If the SPT of a sunscreen is higher than 15 then it is termed as a sun block.
Sunburn can heal without any medical intervention gradually but the best first aids for sunburns include cooling it off with a cold bath, use of baking soda, vinegar or tea and the use of herbs such as aloe Vera juice.
Most of the cases of severe sunburn reported happen to youngsters of between the ages of 1o years to 18 years who may not be aware of the effects of the sun and the need for sunscreen.