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While it’s imperative to protect your skin from direct sun exposure, you may often experience a tan or a sunburn.
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However, both are two different things. Dermatologist Dr Geetika Mittal Gupta took to Instagram to shed light on the topic. Take a look here.
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Tanning begins when UV light hits your skin and leaves behind invisible mutations. Melanocytes are activated to combat these DNA mutations by releasing extra melanin.
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That melanin forms a protective layer over vulnerable DNA inside the skin cells, causing the skin to darken.
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On the other hand, a sunburn is a kind of inflammation with symptoms ranging from blistering, swelling, rash and peeling skin and is caused by damage from UV rays, often occuring after a few hours of sun exposure.
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It's dangerous and causes severe damage to your skin, which may lead to premature ageing and skin cancer.
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While a sunburn is dangerous, regular tanning also greatly increases your chance of both premature ageing and cancer.
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