I am Irish. My entire life I have never been told any differently and it’s unquestionable with a name like Shannon Bridget O’Brien. I am extremely pale and because of that, I get extremely sunburnt. I’ve never had a problem with getting sunburn and I’ve always had SPF 50 on standby for those sunny days, except for Saturday, September 5th. This sunny Labor Day weekend I went to the Temple vs. Penn State game, a tragedy in itself, and then after hours of tailgating and watching the game, I got terrible, purple, boiled sunburn. So now as I lay in my bed I’m wondering, why does sunburn happen and how can I heal it?
All skin types can get sunburn. It doesn’t matter if you are African American, Italian, Irish, Asian, Middle Eastern, if there is a sun, there is a burn. Gary Chuang, a dermatologist from Tufts University School of Medicine, says that melanin is a natural sunscreen for the body. He goes onto explain that everyone has the same number of melanocytes but some people have a stronger retention rate of the sun’s rays. You can read more about Dr. Chuang’s comments here.
Melanin is basically the pigment our skin holds and it is in charge of coloring our natural hair color. Although melanin does help protect our skin to an extent, it’s not something we should rely on. Sunscreen is important even if the sun isn’t shining. How often have you gone out on a cloudy summer day without sunscreen prompting to terrible burns at the end of the day? Exactly. Sunscreen might not even be that terrible cream your mom used to slather on you as a kid. Sometimes it is as simple as staying indoors during peak sun hours.
However, sunscreen is widely recommended by doctors everywhere. I also recommend sunscreen. Just wear it, okay? It really helps. The most important thing when finding the perfect sunscreen is a water-resistant, broad spectrum coverage with SPF 15 at the least. Personally, I recommend the Coppertone Sport brand, I usually use SPF 30 or SPF 50. I have never had a bad burn when wearing that specific brand, unlike other brands like Neutrogena and Banana Boat. If I had been wearing some on Saturday I am confident I would not have the issues I currently am. If you don’t wear sunscreen, you’ll know. Usually it strikes when you get in a nice warm shower only to be met by the feeling of a thousand knives being stabbed into your entire body.
Picture from Kim Kardashian’s 2009 Tweet.
Once the skin is burnt, it throws the cells all off. They undergo apoptosis because the cells are damaged and stressed. Don’t worry, there are plenty of cells to replace the one’s that die during apoptosis. Another side affect of sunburn is the peeling and blisters if it is bad enough. Although the skin is peeling, this is a good sign. Dr. Chuang says that the cells can send signals to the skin telling it to start rebuilding because it is at risk for mutation if it stays. The best way to cure your sunburn, is time, aloe vera and hydration. I have found in my years of experience and experimentation of different treatments, the best treatment is using a wet cloth and laying it on top of the burn. It will hurt at first but after about a half an hour you will barely be able to feel the burn.
After all is said and done, moisturize your new unburned skin and if you do decide to ever go outside again… WEAR THE SUNSCREEN!