The Sun Tan Nation: Sun Burn Causes and Treatments

Everybody loves the sun. If you don't like the sun there is probably something very wrong with you. I live in Oregon where the sun only comes out a couple months a year. When it actually does make its appearance it is amazing. Sun is proven to make someone love life a little more. The sun has many positives that happen because of its rays. But like everything that is good, we tend to abuse it. America is in a "tan" culture with every city having tanning beds at practically every corner. Everyone wants to get burned to look darker and have an exotic look about them. It's an obsession; you just can't get dark enough. I personally don't understand why it's cool to look toasty and fake. Some of the women I see today are so "leather" looking its unbelievable. Well besides the outside affects, over exposure to the sun can lead to multiple health problems. Sunburn is not only a surface result of over exposure.

We know that sunburn occurs from too much sun and over exposure. Almost everyone at one time or the other will get sunburn, some live most of their lives with a burn to some extent. We receive burns from a number of conditions; going to the beach, working outside, fishing, gardening, and abusive behavior in the tanning beds. A sunburn is literally a burn on your skin caused by ultraviolet radiation. Injury can start within 30 minutes of exposure. Lighter skinned people are at greater risk of being burned. Healthy sun exposure produces your skin with a good source of vitamin d. Most of us don't get out of the sun when we need to causing over exposure. Mild cases of sunburn lead to irritation of the skin, redness, and a burning sensation. While these can be painful there are also sever cases leading to chills, fever, vomiting, and blistering. Skin loss occurs 4-7 days after exposure. Over exposure consistently is known to also cause skin cancer.