How sunburn increases the risk of skin cancer

Some believe that tanned skin protects against skin cancer – or that sunburn hardens the skin. The opposite is the case.

Whether after sunbathing on the beach or after a hike in the blazing sun: Almost everyone has had sunburn at some point. Children are particularly at risk because they are more sensitive to heat and sunlight than adults. If you get sunburn more often, you risk long-term consequences. This includes skin cancer in particular.

What happens when you get sunburned?

From a medical point of view, a sunburn corresponds to a burn. It occurs when UV rays penetrate unprotected skin and damage cells there. Depending on how severe the damage is or which skin layers are affected, there is a 1st or 2nd (rarely: 3rd) degree burn.

A mild sunburn usually heals within a week or two. However, damaged cells may remain. This can be dangerous under certain circumstances: the more often a person sunburns, the higher the risk that they will develop skin cancer in the course of their lives.

Sunburn does not harden the skin, as some might think. On the contrary: Every sunburn increases the risk of skin cancer.

Sunburn: what is the risk of skin cancer?

Skin cancer is mainly caused by excessive UV radiation. How high the individual risk is depends on various factors. These include above all

the skin type (a light skin type increases the risk),
the UV exposure,
the number and size of moles as well
sunburns.

Lots of sunburns don’t automatically mean a person will get skin cancer. However, they increase the personal risk of developing it at some point in life. Basically, sunburns are a risk at any age, but especially in childhood and adolescence. Even without sunburn, the risk of skin cancer is increased if a person frequently exposes their skin to the sun for a long time or visits the solarium regularly.

Light-skinned people get sunburned more easily than darker-skinned people.

Increased risk of black and white skin cancer

Experts distinguish between black and white skin cancer. In both forms, intense sunlight plays an important role.

Black skin cancer (malignant melanoma) is considered to be particularly aggressive because, compared to the white form, it quickly forms secondary tumors (metastases). In particular, severe sunburns – regardless of age – and intensive exposure to the sun increase the risk of developing it.

White skin cancer includes squamous cell carcinoma (squamous cell carcinoma) and basal cell carcinoma (basalioma). While basal cell carcinoma usually grows relatively slowly, squamous cell carcinoma is somewhat more aggressive. White skin cancer occurs preferentially in areas that are frequently exposed to the sun – such as the face. The risk of squamous cell carcinoma generally increases with the UV dose to which a person has been exposed over a lifetime. Presumably sunburns also increase the probability. The total UV dose, the intensity of the solar radiation and the extent of the sunburn are important in the development of basal cell carcinoma.

Does tanned skin protect against skin cancer?

Most people know that sunburn increases the risk of skin cancer. What is less common is that even tanned skin is a warning sign. The tan shows that exposure to the sun stresses the body.

Those who are normally rather pale but have already developed a certain tan may believe that they are adequately protected from the sun (and therefore also from skin cancer). However, this is a mistake. There is no such thing as a healthy tan. On the contrary: the discoloration is a sign that the body is already defending itself against the damaging UV rays. If UV radiation penetrates the skin, the color pigment melanin is formed. This wraps itself around the cell nuclei and offers a certain, but not infinite, protection against further radiation. For this reason, people who have already tanned should also ensure they have adequate sun protection.

Skin aging as a further late consequence of sunburn

If you spend a lot of time in the sun or visit the solarium frequently, you also risk your skin aging faster. If UV-A radiation penetrates into the deep layers of the skin, so-called free radicals are formed there. These metabolic products can cause damage to the collagen in the connective tissue. The skin becomes slack and forms wrinkles.

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