4/16/2023 Washington Post: “It may be hard to believe, but a sunburn you got in your teens could be responsible for the skin cancer you develop in your 50s. Each time you burn, you elevate your risk.”
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A sunburn is a radiation burn caused by ultraviolet light from the sun damaging skin cells, specifically to their DNA. Cells that survive and divide after the sunburn can pass down the resulting mutations to future generations of skin cells. Mutations to certain segments of the DNA can result in cells becoming cancerous. More sunburns mean more damaged DNA.
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