Disease Overview
A sunburn is when you can start to see reddening, inflammation, and, in severe cases, blistering and peeling of the skin caused by overexposure to the ultraviolet rays of the sun.
Defining Characteristics
Inflammation, erythema
Disease Development
Determined by total UVB energy absorbed (ind of duration)
Inflammation (cytokines, histamine, prostaglandins, serotonin) cause redness; increased adhesion protein expression –> immune cell recruitment
Potential Causes
Failed or incomplete repair of thymine dimers
–> mutations in p53 (higher risk for non- melanoma skin cancers)
Lab/Imaging
Histology?
Endothelial swelling, decreased langerhans, neutrophil recruitment, apoptotic keratinocytes (bright pink)
areas of hyperplasia (thickened stratum corneum, epidermis, dermis)
Complications
Major risk factor for non- melanoma and melanoma skin cancers