There are people who actively go out to get tanned and then there are those who absolutely hate it when they get tanned. And those tan lines don’t even wash away; they are stubborn and it takes a long time for our skin to get back to its natural color. Sun-tan however often means that the tanned exposed part of the skin is already damaged. But when the sun exposure causes so much skin damage that it leads to sunburn, it definitely needs to be treated professionally

What causes tan/sunburn?
Tanning is basically our body’s way to protect itself from harmful UV rays. Melanin, which causes the skin to darken or lighten, is released when our skin is exposed to the sun’s rays. This creates a shield against the harmful rays, protecting the skin, to some extent. In the process of creating the shield, as more melanin is released, your skin gets darker and that’s how you get tanned.

Now, if your skin remains exposed to the sun for too long, it would lead to the skin turning red, burning and even scalding or peeling. This is called as a sunburn. Repeatedly damaging the skin with such exposure and sunburns could lead to other problems like dry skin, rough skin, patchy skin with dark spots or even something more severe like skin cancer – melanoma.