Anatomy of a Sunburn: A Timeline of Dermatological Destruction

If you've been badly sunburned, you know the steps: You turn red, you feel hot and swollen, and if your burn was deep, you eventually peel as you heal. But what's happening at the microscopic scale to make all these things happen? We walk you through the mechanics of getting burned, and the long recovery.


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    Anatomy of a Sunburn


    The source of sunburn's dermatological damage is ultraviolet (UV) rays, a more energetic form of light than what we use for vision. The UV we usually contend with comes in two flavors: UVA, which primarily causes wrinkling, and the stronger UVB, which produces the telltale signs of sunburn. Our planet's ozone layer shields us from much of this UV radiation, and almost entirely absorbs a third kind, UVC, the most energetic and dangerous. With our hemisphere tilted more toward the sun in summer, and with a natural seasonal dip in ozone, it's the most dangerous time for skin damage.

    A good sunscreen, applied liberally and often, is your friend on hot summer days. (And to simplify how we buy sunscreens to protect ourselves, the Food and Drug Administration last week issued new rules on product labeling.) But if you forget your sunscreen and give the sun's rays an open shot at your skin, what's happening at the cellular level as UV rays wreak havoc? A lot of factors significantly impact how quickly and badly one sunburns, including color of skin, cloud cover and time of day. Here's a rundown of how your skin goes from sun-kissed to sun-dissed.
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