Sunburn is not actually a thermal burn caused by the heat of the sun, but rather a massive wave of cellular suicide triggered by extreme ultraviolet radiation damage to your DNA.

A closer look

Sunburn is not actually a thermal burn caused by the heat of the sun, but rather a massive wave of cellular suicide triggered by extreme ultraviolet radiation damage to your DNA. When your skin cells realize their genetic code has been horribly mutated by the sun, they actively destroy themselves to prevent turning into dangerous skin cancer. So that agonizing peeling you experience after a beach vacation is just millions of tiny biological martyrs sacrificing their lives because you were too cheap and lazy to reapply sunscreen. You are not just sporting a nice aesthetic summer glow, you are literally wearing a mass grave of your own irradiated tissue. Let that morbid reality sink in the next time you decide to fall asleep poolside without protection just to impress people with a temporary tan