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From: merrill@gigi.DEC (Rick GIGI::Merrill  DECRITE)
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: sunburn speculation
Message-ID: <2724@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 20-Jul-84 08:46:33 EDT
Article-I.D.: decwrl.2724
Posted: Fri Jul 20 08:46:33 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 22-Jul-84 06:19:15 EDT
Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP
Organization: DEC Engineering Network
Lines: 16

My hypothesis for the delayed reaction to sunburn is that the skin takes
time to get killed thus protecting you while you HAVE to be out in the
sun Working for Food to Stay Alive and doesn't bother until later when
you have time to sleep (hence the survival value of the delay).

The pain probably arrises from two sources: dead layers of skin shrinking
and blister-type-fluid come to repair-the-damage stretching the layers.

ouch!!

Then yourskin fights back by tanning, freckling etc which apparently
allow heat to be absorbed easier w/o burning (survival value for the
dark skinned).  Well then, you ask, why isn't everybody "dark"?  It
may be that vitamin D is produced by sun exposure (a good thing) BUT
too much is bad for you (?).