Sunburn isn’t just red skin – here’s what’s happening underneath the burn
The government is warning that the NHS will be under even more pressure this weekend as temperatures soar, so looking after yourself in the sunshine is crucial.
Read more: Amber heat health alert issued for England
But how much do you know about the science behind sunburn… and how to prevent it?
What is sunburn?
While we all know what sunburned skin looks like – red and sore – it might not be so clear what is happening underneath the skin.
“Essentially, it’s inflammation,” said Dr Rachel Abbott, a consultant dermatologist who specialises in skin cancer for the Cardiff and Vale University health board.
“It’s triggered by ultraviolet radiation, primarily UVB but also by UVA.”
A tourist shows her sunburned leg. File pic: AP
Ultraviolet radiation is carcinogenic and when it is allowed to penetrate the skin, it triggers an inflammatory reaction, said Dr Abbott.
Histamines – chemicals produced by the body’s immune system – and prostaglandins – compounds that help the body deal with injuries and illness – are released as your body begins reacting to the damage.
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How to keep pets cool during a heatwave
Although the inflamed, red, itchy skin will fade, those carcinogens will do permanent damage to your DNA, according to Dr Abbott.
“The redness and pain can be managed symptomatically, but that DNA damage is permanent,” she said.
“We’ve all got DNA repair mechanisms in our bodies. But this is why we’re seeing such a massive increase in skin cancer, because [as we get older], the battle between the DNA damage and the skin cells becomes more than the immune system can cope with.”
A sunburned man lies on the grass. File pic: Reuters
Since the early 1990s, the number of skin cancer cases in Britain has more than doubled and last year, the number of cases was predicted to hit an all-time high of 20,800, according to Cancer Research UK.
The cancer charity partially attributed the rise in cases to older groups of people knowing “less about the dangers of tanning in their youth”, who “may have taken advantage of the cheap package holiday boom from the 1960s”.
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This would lead to increased sun exposure and more damaged DNA, increasing the risk of skin cancer further down the line.
The ‘most effective’ protection (and it isn’t suncream)
There is currently no conclusive treatment to deal with the DNA damage caused by sunburn – although Dr Abbott said there is “exciting” work being done in that area.
A peeling, sunburned back. File pic: iStock
Instead, the way to stop yourself from sustaining long-term damage is to protect yourself from UV rays.
“A lot of people associate temperature with the heat of the sun, whereas actually it’s the UV index that’s the critical thing. And that usually peaks around midday,” said Dr Abbott.
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What is a heatwave?
Contrary to what some may think (or hope), suncream should be a last resort.
Shade “is the most effective thing”, she said, but if you have to be out in the sunshine, “obviously we recommend hats, clothing and then sunscreen”.
“It is a last resort for those areas that you can’t cover up with clothing and hats, and sunglasses.”
The cancer care charity Macmillan recommends a suncream with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 50, or at least 30, and to reapply it regularly.
“There is no such thing as a safe suntan,” advises the charity.
It also recommends using around six to eight teaspoons of suncream for an adult – one teaspoon for each limb, one for your chest, one for your back and one for your head and neck.
A former Church of England priest who ran a rave-inspired “cult” group has been found guilty of indecently assaulting nine women.
Chris Brain, 68, led the Nine O’Clock Service (NOS) in the 1980s and 1990s in Sheffield, with services aimed at 18 to 30-year-olds featuring multimedia, scantily-dressed women, and a live band.
The movement was initially seen by the church as a “ground-breaking” success story and attracted between 500 to 600 people to worship at 9pm on Sundays after NOS moved from St Thomas Church to The Rotunda in Ponds Forge.
Brain, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, denied committing sexual offences against 13 women, including one count of rape and 36 counts of indecent assault between 1981 and 1995.
Today he was found guilty of 17 counts of indecent assault relating to nine women and acquitted of 15 similar charges.
The jury is still deliberating on five outstanding counts, including the rape charge.
Brain led NOS. Pic: BBC/EVRYMAN/BREACH OF FAITH
Inner London Crown Court heard Brain’s ordination was “fast-tracked”, including claims he cheated in his exams, and he wore the same cassock as Robert De Niro in The Mission for the ceremony in 1991.
But prosecutors said NOS became a “closed and controlled group”, in which Brain “dominated and abused his position” to sexually assault a “staggering number of women from his congregation”.
NOS started at St Thomas Church in Sheffield
NOS collapsed in 1994 after women made allegations about Brain, who resigned from his holy orders in 1995 amid “enormous media interest”, the court heard.
Brain was accused of one count of rape and 36 counts of indecent assault between 1981 and 1995. Pic: Elizabeth Cook/PA
‘Allegations destroyed my life’
Giving evidence, Brain admitted receiving back massages from some NOS members, which he said started as a way to relieve tension headaches, but would “very rarely” lead to sexual activity.
“With some of my closest friends, it would be kissing sometimes, occasionally massaging, stroking. Anything more than that, we would back off,” he said.
He told the jury any touching was done with “100%” consent, and he would’ve “instantly stopped” if anyone had indicated they were uncomfortable.
Brain said the allegations had “basically destroyed my life” and suggested the women had “to exaggerate these things to make it either sexual or controlling” in order “to make a criminal case”.
Brain said he became involved in the dotcom boom in the late 1990s before setting up a business helping smaller firms transition into big companies, which folded once he was charged.
A police officer has described the moment he was shot with a crossbow – as his “extremely dangerous” attacker was sentenced to nine years in jail.
Jason King, 54, fired the weapon at PC Curtis Foster after stabbing a neighbour, a man in his 60s, following an altercation in Downley, Wycombe, on 10 May last year.
PC Foster was struck in the leg by a crossbow bolt while King chased after him and his fellow unarmed officer.
Jason King armed with the crossbow chases the officer. Pic: Thames Valley Police
King stabbed his neighbour in the stomach following an altercation. Pic: Thames Valley Police
“I knew something had impacted me, but my adrenaline was so high that the pain wasn’t really there,” PC Foster said.
“I first realised I was bleeding quite a lot when I could feel it running down my leg, and then I touched my leg with above my trousers, and my whole hand was red where it’d gone through my trousers already.”
PC Foster and his colleague cleared the area of civilians, while armed officers chased King to a local park.
King also fired the crossbow at a police dog but missed.
He was ordered to drop the weapon, but instead started running with it in hand towards the exit of the park to where PC Foster had escaped.
An armed officer fired one shot at King, striking him in the abdomen, to stop him.
PC Curtis Foster was hit in the leg by a crossbow bolt shot by King. Pic: Thames Valley Police
PC Foster. Pic: Thames Valley Police
‘Covered in my blood’
As King was apprehended, paramedics and his fellow officers treated the seriously injured PC Foster.
“There was a lot of blood. My two colleagues that turned up initially on scene were covered in my blood – that’s how much blood I’d lost,” PC Foster said.
“When we got to the hospital, the doctor had a feel of it and said that I was really lucky it didn’t strike an artery. It was a couple of centimetres away from hitting an artery in the back of my leg.”
PC Foster has since made a full recovery, as did the neighbour King stabbed.
King himself was taken to hospital under police supervision with potentially life-changing injuries and was discharged 10 days later, when he was arrested and taken into police custody.
King was apprehended by armed police officers in a nearby park. Pic: Thames Valley Police
On Wednesday, King was jailed at Aylesbury Crown Court for nine years with a further three years on extended licence having previously pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding, having an article with a blade or point, having an offensive weapon, wounding with intent and affray regarding the incident.
“Jason King will now serve a substantial prison sentence as a result of his violent actions on 10 May 2024. The community and residents of Downley are much safer for it,” said senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Nick Hind.
He added: “The courage of our officers in dealing with this incident was second to none.”
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‘Significant threat to police’
DI Hind explained that the impact the incident had in the local community couldn’t be underestimated as King was “an extremely dangerous man, who posed a significant threat to police, other emergency services and members of the community”.
A mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct was made after the police shooting of King.
The IOPC, which concluded its investigation in November, commended “everybody involved in this incident”, according to DI Hind.
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