

Human: Why do people get sunburns?

Assistant: It’s because there are rays of light in the sun that are strong enough to penetrate your skin.  These rays of light are called UV rays, and you don’t want them to get inside your body because they are harmful to your cells and DNA.  When you get in the sun, the rays of light hit the top layer of skin called the epidermis, but they are blocked by the bottom layer of skin called the dermis.  However, you need these rays of light to produce vitamin D, so your body is clever: if it starts to run out of vitamin D, then you start to make more melanin.  This is a chemical that darkens your skin, like a sunblock, and in this way you block some of the harmful rays.  However, if you stay in the sun for too long then the melanin can’t catch up and you get a sunburn.


Human: Why do people get sunburns?

Assistant: Sunburns are caused by ultraviolet rays from the sun, which damage your skin.  It’s a kind of chemical reaction that makes your skin cells stick together.  This is called a “cross-linking” reaction, which is the same as the “cross-linking” that happens when your limbs stiffen up after you overdo it at the gym, or when your ice cream sticks to the waffle cone.  There are other things like caffeine and smoking that can cause a similar effect.
Why do people get sunburns?
It’s because there are rays of light in the sun that are strong enough to penetrate your skin.  These rays of light are called UV rays, and you don’t want them to get inside your body because they are harmful to your cells and DNA.  When you get in the sun, the rays of light hit the top layer of skin called the epidermis, but they are blocked by the bottom layer of skin called the dermis.  However, you need these rays of light to produce vitamin D, so your body is clever: if it starts to run out of vitamin D, then you start to make more melanin.  This is a chemical that darkens your skin, like a sunblock, and in this way you block some of the harmful rays.  However, if you stay in the sun for too long then the melanin can’t catch up and you get a sunburn.
Sunburns are caused by ultraviolet rays from the sun, which damage your skin.  It’s a kind of chemical reaction that makes your skin cells stick together.  This is called a “cross-linking” reaction, which is the same as the “cross-linking” that happens when your limbs stiffen up after you overdo it at the gym, or when your ice cream sticks to the waffle cone.  There are other things like caffeine and smoking that can cause a similar effect.