What is Sunburn?
The best approach to sunburn is prevention. Sunburn, especially repeat sunburns, can cause skin cancer decades later. Sunburns can damage your skin and contribute to premature aging, freckling, discoloration and enlarged blood vessels. Without protection, some skin types burn after only a few minutes of exposure to the sun.
Most of the symptoms of sunburn are quite familiar-- your skin turns red, feels hot and may be sore or tender. Sometimes the skin blisters and itches after a few days. Severe sunburn can cause fever, nausea and a rash. Call your doctor if this occurs, since sunburn may sometimes accompany heat illnesses.
Tips for Treating Sunburn
Here are some home remedies for sunburn -- just in case you screw up one day and suddenly find yourself looking like a cooked lobster!
- As soon as you realize you have a sunburn, start cooling the skin. Apply cold compresses for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Drench a cloth or towel in ice water, wring it out and gently press it to the burned areas. If you apply ice to the skin, do not leave it there for more than a minute or two. You can also take cool baths. Some people add baking soda or oatmeal in the bath water.
- Wash only with mild soap or just clean the burned skin with water.
- Drink lots of water. This is very important!
- Apply an emollient type of moisturizer -- something rich, but not greasy. Do not use petroleum jelly or oils that may block the pores and exacerbate your symptoms. Apply lotions to blisters only after the blisters have broken and dried up.
- To relieve pain, you can take over-the-counter pain medicines.
- Try calamine lotion for itching.
- Some people apply aloe vera gel to the skin. It may not heal the sunburn any faster, but it may soothe the skin.
Next time think about wearing heavier sun-block!