Talk:Windburn

I, myself, have become windburnt in the dead of night without ANY sunlight. I'm certain that it is possible to get sunburnt far quicker than expected in winter, especially factoring in the reflection of the sun's rays off of snow. However, whoever said that it was solely caused by UV rays has obviously never lived in Wisconsin. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.253.193.119 (talk) 06:36, 15 December 2022 (UTC)


 * I agree. "Windburn" may be a misnomer, but sunburn certainly isn't the reason my face hurts after running on a cold windy day after dark. 208.38.229.254 (talk) 01:35, 27 January 2023 (UTC)

Another sceptic
I haven't been able to find any suggestion in reputable medical sources (despite anecdotal insistence by many) that wind-burn exists at all. Removal of oils from the skin causes dry skin. Soap does that. By this logic, we would have soap-burn. I think the idea of wind-burn is a myth caused by those who fail to understand that some of the suns rays reflect from water surface increasing exposure. Another possible reason for confusion is that, especially when in snowy areas, reflective exposure is increased. Thus it is possible, especially at high altitudes to be sunburned in the shade. Wiredrabbit (talk) 14:02, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

Confusion between windburn and sunburn
"Windburn is usually not protected against by sunscreen." "Covering the skin, using sunscreen, and moisturizing are important prevention methods." Seems like a contradiction to me. Keppa 03:34, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Good point, Keppa. This is part of the confusion between sunburn and windburn. I have improved the language somewhat to say that pure windburn (without sunburn) is not protected by sunscreen. Protection of windburn and sunburn often go hand in hand, as stated in the article. Edchi 5 Jul 2006

Does anyone know more treatment options for windburn?
If yes, please add it.

Wind burn sceptic
I am dubious of the validity of calling what is described in this article 'windburn' or 'wind burn.' I doubt any medical professionals would agree with this terminology. Burn seems too liberal a definition for, as is described in the article, simple dehydration and irritation of the skin.

Perhaps 'windburn' has entered the language in a pure colloquial sense. If so, I think this needs to be acknowledged and the gobbledygoosh about the cause of this 'burn' needs to be revised.

The Wikipedia 'burn (injury)' article (linked to in the 'windburn' article) contains no mention of wind as one of the causes of a burn.

203.54.78.22 07:59, 14 February 2007 (UTC) Dylan


 * This article is a bit homespun, but I reckon the term burn is acceptible, both because it is commonly used, along with wind tan, to describe the condition, and because we happily use the term burn for when the skin is damaged by either cold or radiation. The reddening of the skin is Erythema and is caused by irritation.
 * But what is the cause of the irritation? The article suggests that it is caused by removal of oil. Now I don't know what the vapour pressures of the oils in sebum are, so maybe it is possible that evaporation is significant, but lower down the article mentions low humidity, which of course, would have no bearing on oil loss, only water loss.


 * Crew and Whittle investigated this is the 1930s. Perhaps someone with access to journals could look at one and find out what the science is in all of this? It would also give the article something to cite.


 * SUNBURN AND WINDBURN
 * W. H. Crew and C. H. Whittle
 * Science 2 October 1936: 309-310.
 * JBel (talk) 09:00, 13 May 2009 (UTC)

Fleece face protection...
While covering the face is a sure-fire way to guard against these ailments, it is not really conducive to aggressive skiing. Any sort of covering that encompasses the entire face will likely inhibit the natural range of motion of the head making it uncomfortable to look around which is mandatory for any sport conducted at high speed. If the mouth is partially or completely covered breathing is restricted. Additionally, any garment worn around the face will tend to trap heat from exhalation so close to the face that goggles will tend to fog much more easily than usual, leading to a clearly unsafe condition. Numerous alpine specific skin care solutions exist which are far superior to simply covering the entire face. In my opinion the only conditions in which complete face coverage is required are during periods of extreme cold when frostbite is also a valid concern.