Sunburnt skin. Artwork of a section through the epidermis (outer) layer of sunburnt skin. Sunburn is inflammation of the skin caused by overexposure to the sun. At upper frame dead epidermal cells (thin, squamous with no nucleus) that have been destroyed by ultraviolet light in the sun's rays are sloughing off. Below, further destruction of the skin's cells is seen in the pink, irregular shapes of dead cell debris. The basal cell layer of the epidermis is at lower centre (wave-like across the frame). Some damage can also be seen to cells of this layer. At bottom frame are red (oxygenated) and blue (deoxygenated) capillaries.