ZOMG SUNBURN

[Chardok]

As you've probably all noticed of late, there's a slew of sensational news articles featuring sunburned people (children especially). Growing up, I think I maybe wore sunscreen when I went to the beach and that was about it. I would go to school, play outside all the freakin' time, ride my bike, be out from sun up to sun down, and on and on. The latest article I read was about some girls who went to a field day at school and were "so severely sunburned that they had to go to the hospital." I don't recall ever as a child being severely sunburned. So what happened? is society pussified? Is the sun MORE POWARFUL?! Is there less Ozone? Or maybe I'm just detined for skin cancer and I don't know it yet.

[Ziggy Stardust]

Part of it is greater awareness of the dangers of skin cancer, part of it is stronger UV radiation due to a weaker ozone layer, and part of it is idiotic news sensationalism. Not sure which part is biggest, but certainly all three play a role. My completely off the cuff reaction is to think that it is just an overreaction based on poor understanding of the science involved.

[Bedlam]

I think part is that people dont spend as much time outside as they used to, if you are out all day everyday then you will tan and not burn. If you stay inside 364 days of the year then go out only at the height of summer then you will end up burnt.

[Stofsk]

As you've probably all noticed of late, there's a slew of sensational news articles featuring sunburned people (children especially). Growing up, I think I maybe wore sunscreen when I went to the beach and that was about it. I would go to school, play outside all the freakin' time, ride my bike, be out from sun up to sun down, and on and on. The latest article I read was about some girls who went to a field day at school and were "so severely sunburned that they had to go to the hospital." I don't recall ever as a child being severely sunburned. So what happened? is society pussified? Is the sun MORE POWARFUL?! Is there less Ozone? Or maybe I'm just detined for skin cancer and I don't know it yet.

Some people are more sensitive to exposure to sunlight than normal. Hell there's even a medical condition where some people can't be exposed to sunlight as it's potentially lethal (I don't know what this condition is called; I think it's pretty rare though).

[General Zod]

As you've probably all noticed of late, there's a slew of sensational news articles featuring sunburned people (children especially). Growing up, I think I maybe wore sunscreen when I went to the beach and that was about it. I would go to school, play outside all the freakin' time, ride my bike, be out from sun up to sun down, and on and on. The latest article I read was about some girls who went to a field day at school and were "so severely sunburned that they had to go to the hospital." I don't recall ever as a child being severely sunburned. So what happened? is society pussified? Is the sun MORE POWARFUL?! Is there less Ozone? Or maybe I'm just detined for skin cancer and I don't know it yet.

Some people are more sensitive to exposure to sunlight than normal. Hell there's even a medical condition where some people can't be exposed to sunlight as it's potentially lethal (I don't know what this condition is called; I think it's pretty rare though).

The term you're looking for is porphoryia. I think it's more a matter that people are aware how dangerous getting too much sun can be thanks to all kinds of new research.

(I'm going to leave this here, click at your own risk. http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/World/2012050 ... th-120502/ )

[Broomstick]

As you've probably all noticed of late, there's a slew of sensational news articles featuring sunburned people (children especially). Growing up, I think I maybe wore sunscreen when I went to the beach and that was about it. I would go to school, play outside all the freakin' time, ride my bike, be out from sun up to sun down, and on and on. The latest article I read was about some girls who went to a field day at school and were "so severely sunburned that they had to go to the hospital." I don't recall ever as a child being severely sunburned. So what happened? is society pussified? Is the sun MORE POWARFUL?! Is there less Ozone? Or maybe I'm just detined for skin cancer and I don't know it yet.

35 years ago I was on a camping trip with some friends and one of them got stupid and got a second degree sunburn on her shoulders. That is, badly burned enough to raise blisters on both shoulders from neck to arm and partway down both her back and chest. Said blisters burst, leaving ragged shreds of tissue and oozing fluids in their place. Much screaming and crying. She eventually wound up in the ER, clutching a towel around her breasts and arms because she couldn't bear to have anything at all touch her damaged skin.

Many years later, a light-skinned half-black half-Hawaiian coworker showed me the scars she acquired from bad second degree sunburn when she visited a tropical island and foolishly assumed that being medium brown provided sufficient protection under an equatorial sun.

So, in fact, severe sunburn isn't exactly new. It has happened in the past. As noted, though, people spend less time outside than in the past so their natural defenses aren't in place, and given long enough exposure under sufficiently intense sunlight even those with darker than European skin can be at risk.

A sunburn is exactly that - a burn. Either extensive coverage of the skin, or blistering exposure, can make you ill enough to require medical attention. Extensive 2nd degree sunburn is just as serious as any other extensive blistering burn.

Some people are more sensitive to exposure to sunlight than normal. Hell there's even a medical condition where some people can't be exposed to sunlight as it's potentially lethal (I don't know what this condition is called; I think it's pretty rare though).

The term you're looking for is porphoryia. I think it's more a matter that people are aware how dangerous getting too much sun can be thanks to all kinds of new research.

There is also xeroderma pigmentosum or XP, which is even rarer and worse than porphoryia.

[Molyneux]

As you've probably all noticed of late, there's a slew of sensational news articles featuring sunburned people (children especially). Growing up, I think I maybe wore sunscreen when I went to the beach and that was about it. I would go to school, play outside all the freakin' time, ride my bike, be out from sun up to sun down, and on and on. The latest article I read was about some girls who went to a field day at school and were "so severely sunburned that they had to go to the hospital." I don't recall ever as a child being severely sunburned. So what happened? is society pussified? Is the sun MORE POWARFUL?! Is there less Ozone? Or maybe I'm just detined for skin cancer and I don't know it yet.

35 years ago I was on a camping trip with some friends and one of them got stupid and got a second degree sunburn on her shoulders. That is, badly burned enough to raise blisters on both shoulders from neck to arm and partway down both her back and chest. Said blisters burst, leaving ragged shreds of tissue and oozing fluids in their place. Much screaming and crying. She eventually wound up in the ER, clutching a towel around her breasts and arms because she couldn't bear to have anything at all touch her damaged skin.

Many years later, a light-skinned half-black half-Hawaiian coworker showed me the scars she acquired from bad second degree sunburn when she visited a tropical island and foolishly assumed that being medium brown provided sufficient protection under an equatorial sun.

So, in fact, severe sunburn isn't exactly new. It has happened in the past. As noted, though, people spend less time outside than in the past so their natural defenses aren't in place, and given long enough exposure under sufficiently intense sunlight even those with darker than European skin can be at risk.

A sunburn is exactly that - a burn. Either extensive coverage of the skin, or blistering exposure, can make you ill enough to require medical attention. Extensive 2nd degree sunburn is just as serious as any other extensive blistering burn.

Seconding this!
Even a less severe burn can lead to some pretty nasty effects...and if I never have to spend weeks picking peeled-off skin out of my towel after every shower, it'll be too soon.

[PeZook]

Even people who spent literally their ENTIRE LIVES outside (desert nomands) covered themselves up, because the sun is that nasty. When I was a lad, and sunscreen wasn't widely available due to communism, my mother would also make sure I always wore a hat and covered my neck, etc.

Sun = dangerous is really nothing new.

[Lord Revan]

I wouldn't be supriced if people were putting too much faith on sunscreen lotions and thus failing to use the precautions people used when sunscreens weren't as common or didn't exist in modern form.

[atg]

In my experience I find that many people are complacent about re-applying sunscreen, figuring that applying once is enough. Or that many people just don't care about getting burnt cause tans are apparently awesome.

As a red-head living in Australia I take special precautions during our summer to limit or stop sunburn - I figure if I can avoid sunburn anyone can.

[LaCroix]

In my experience I find that many people are complacent about re-applying sunscreen, figuring that applying once is enough. Or that many people just don't care about getting burnt cause tans are apparently awesome.

I would disagree in part. While the apply once, stay out the whole day crowd is huge, lots of people do reapply sunscreen - but they think that this causes the 'maximum exposure time' clock to reset.

[Spoonist]

As you've probably all noticed of late, there's a slew of sensational news articles featuring sunburned people (children especially). Growing up, I think I maybe wore sunscreen when I went to the beach and that was about it. I would go to school, play outside all the freakin' time, ride my bike, be out from sun up to sun down, and on and on. The latest article I read was about some girls who went to a field day at school and were "so severely sunburned that they had to go to the hospital." I don't recall ever as a child being severely sunburned. So what happened? is society pussified? Is the sun MORE POWARFUL?! Is there less Ozone? Or maybe I'm just detined for skin cancer and I don't know it yet.

Yes, we are pussified, we don't let people die needlessly anymore, instead we are so weak that we want them to be aware of the risks....

Heck, you had workers on the pyramids striking because they didn't got their sunscreen so how on earth could anyone think this is a recent issue???

But yes you are right that some zones are struck more heavily by UV nowadays due to ozon etc, but that is such a small factor that it is negligable.

What happened was a couple of things.
1) the link between deadly melanoma and UV exposure was discovered and then verified in the 60s,
2) govs started picking up on that by the 80s but didn't do anything but letting the medical proffession know
3) the stats is a bad trend so the govs got increased funding for prevention measures in most 1st world nations (except US as usual)
4) the 80s had a big thing for charter and thus for tanning so the cancer hospitals are full with 50 year olds who were young then - to a tremendous cost for society

Heck, I was young in the 70s-80s and am a red-head and I remember lots of people getting severe burns. Especially brits going to meditteranean tourist locations.
They would show up on the second day to breakfast with blisters all over their shoulders.

[Lord Anubis]

As you've probably all noticed of late, there's a slew of sensational news articles featuring sunburned people (children especially). Growing up, I think I maybe wore sunscreen when I went to the beach and that was about it. I would go to school, play outside all the freakin' time, ride my bike, be out from sun up to sun down, and on and on. The latest article I read was about some girls who went to a field day at school and were "so severely sunburned that they had to go to the hospital." I don't recall ever as a child being severely sunburned. So what happened? is society pussified? Is the sun MORE POWARFUL?! Is there less Ozone? Or maybe I'm just detined for skin cancer and I don't know it yet.

I believe the case your referring to about the children needing to go to the hospital after being burned is the one about the two sisters out in Tacoma, Washington. In that case on of the sisters suffers from a variant form of albino-ism [sp?] that means she is especially susceptible to the harmful affects of the sun. Also the pictures that I've seen about that case in particular the girls were rather severely burned so it was only prudent that the mother took them to the hospital. Also they did not have any sunscreen/sunblock on since there is a policy at that school preventing teachers from applying it because it involves physical contact with a child.

http://tacoma.komonews.com/news/health/ ... ned-school

[Napoleon the Clown]

Albinism is the term you're looking for.

And the issue with applying sunscreen isn't about physical contact alone, it's because sunscreen is considered a medication, which schools prohibit without a doctor's note or prescription saying "Yeah, kinda mandatory here." The justification I heard is concerns over allergies.