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by puatry on July 11th, 2004

puatry

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Why do sunburns hurt?

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Answers. 4 helpful answers below.

  • by Roger Kovaciny on November 4th, 2005

    Roger Kovaciny

    Because sunburns are real burns, and burns hurt. They hurt because when the skin is burned, it tries to get rid of the heat as fast as possible. It does this by all the capillaries opening wide (most of them usually aren't). But when they stay wide open too long, they rupture, causing further damage, and the skin then blisters, dies (death hurts!), and peels.

    When you have a sunburn, do NOT put any kind of cream on it; creams just hold in the heat. Actually, the best thing for a sunburn--or any other first or second degree burn--is simply to keep it wet for eight or ten hours. And I mean constantly, by covering it with wet terrycloth. This cools the skin, lets the capillaries relax, and there will be little or no peeling. I thought this was my own brilliant discovery--and if it was a medicine the drug companies would make millions off of it, it works so well--but then found it recommended in a Reader's Digest that I had certainly read years earlier.

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  • by Quirkie on January 17th, 2005

    Quirkie

    The sun's rays contain ultraviolet radiation.
    One way UVA and UVB ultraviolet radiation can cause damage is via the production of free radicals, which can damage cells, including their DNA and thus potentially cause cancer.
    Pain receptors in the skin (nociceptors) detect damaged cells.
    One way a nociceptor works is to detect the body's energy molecule ATP, which should only be found inside cells. Finding it outside a cell signals cell damage.
    The nociceptors signal the pain to the brain, which interprets the signal as physical pain. This is the body's self protection mechanism telling you to stop what ever it is which is causing you to get damaged.

    UV stimulates the production of melanin, which brown pigment reduces the effect of UV by scattering, reflecting and aborbing some of the harmful rays. Some people are genetically born with more natural melanin pigment in their skin than others.

    Vitamin C and E help protect the body against the effects of free radicals.

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  • by Roger Kovaciny on February 12th, 2007

    Roger Kovaciny

    Thanks, hondacordluver. I don't get sunburns anymore--no time at the beach--but maybe you could you try Sarna on one arm and water on the other. Then you'd be the expert.

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  • by Ripley_B on August 11th, 2010

    Ripley_B

    actually! sunburns only occur when there is exposure to the sun, teh sun kills skin cells, causing the blood to flow to the area to repair it, heating up teh skin (giving that pink color) and causing iut to feel warm to touch. Try aloe vera and ice packs. also aspirin helps teh pain.

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