Medicine

What does sunburn consist of?

Link to this answer

CloseClose

Link to this answer

Share this credible answer with others. Simply paste this code into your blog or Web page:

<a href="http://qanda.encyclopedia.com/question/does-sunburn-consist-408021.html" >What does sunburn consist of?</a>
E-mail this answer Link to this answer

As ultraviolet rays penetrate the skin, they break down collagen and elastin, the two main structural components of the skin, a process that results in the wrinkled appearance of sun-damaged skin. In addition, the sun damages the DNA of the exposed skin cells. In response, the cells release enzymes that excise the damaged parts of the DNA and encourage the production of replacement DNA (a process that can go wrong and result in skin cancer ). At the same time, the production of melanin increases, darkening the skin. Melanin, the pigment that gives skin its color, acts as a barrier to further damage by absorbing ultraviolet light.

Answer verified with
Get more facts and information about sunburn . Or, view the full encyclopedia entry from The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition.

Similar questions: How can sunburn be explained? What is the explanation of sunburn? [ Hide these questions ]

Related research questions

Related research articles

HOLIDAY HEALTH: BURNING QUESTIONS; Tanning Tips: Don't let the sun catch you...
Newspaper article from: The Mirror (London, England) ...avoid the agonies of sunburn. First, avoid the sun...sunscreen is the key to your sunburn defence. The chemical...Physical sunscreens consist of small particles which...sunlight at all times. If sunburn does occur sufferers should...
OTC LABELING RULE FINAL.
Magazine article from: Soap & Cosmetics ...cosmetic, because a product does not require a precise dosage...products are intended to prevent sunburn and both are regarded as drug...for drug-cosmetic products consist of "general common-sense...consumer who wishes to prevent sunburn should select a sunscreen...
Chocolate fundamentals aren't necessarily sweet.(TASTE)
Newspaper article from: Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN) ...that once was widely used as a sunburn preventive. (It didn't...than bittersweet chocolate does - sometimes it contains a bit...not called chocolate, may consist of cocoa and a cheaper fat...stupid as the cheap ones, which consist of sugar and hydrogenated vegetable...
Saving the ozone layer: thirty years ago, scientists fought to stop the...
Magazine article from: Science World ...planet is made up of ozone gas molecules, which consist of three oxygen atoms (smallest unit of matter...light to reach Earth's surface. Not only does that increase the chances of getting sunburn when you go outside, it could also lead to...
Female Times: Health watch: Health briefs.(Features)
Newspaper article from: The News Letter (Belfast, Northern Ireland) Does your medicine cabinet consist of some painkillers and tatty plasters? It's time to pay it...safety pins; hydrocortisone cream for bites and stings and even sunburn: Loperamide to treat diarrhoea. Make sure your cabinet or first...
See all results at HighBeam

HighBeam gives you access to newspaper, magazine, and trade journal articles plus press releases, facts, information, and biographies from thousands of sources.