Treating Sunburns

In addition to causing pain and discomfort, sunburns can also cause long-lasting damage to the skin. Whether you didn’t think you would be out in the sun or you forgot to reapply your sunscreen frequently enough, there are some tips and tricks that can be used to help treat sunburns and reduce the pain and discomfort.

Tips for Treating Sunburns:

-- Act quickly and get out of the sun at the first sign of a sunburn… like Barton Schmitt, a pediatrician at Children's Hospital Colorado and author of a new book, My Child Is Sick! Expert Advice for Managing Common Illnesses and Injuries, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics explains, it can take up to 4-6 hours for the symptoms of a sunburn to appear, so get out of the sun at the first sign of pinkness!

-- Apply a cold moist towel to the burn or try taking cool showers/baths to help expel some of the heat from the skin

-- Apply moisturizers with aloe vera, like the Solarcaine Burn Gel with Extra Aloe

-- Take over-the-counter ibuprofen pain relievers, which will help relieve the pain, as well as the swelling and redness

-- Drink extra water, juice, and/or sports drinks to help prevent dehydration

-- Leave it alone! Don’t pop any blisters that form and don’t pick at or peel any dry and flaky skin

-- Watch for signs of sun poisoning, such as dizziness, weakness, nausea, feeling cold, and simply just not feeling like yourself. If you’re worried about sun poisoning, contact your healthcare provider.

-- Use extra caution to keep the skin protected while the sunburn heals…. Wear tightly-woven fabrics and try to stay out of direct sunlight

Implementing these tips can help relieve some of the pain and discomfort associated with sunburns, as well as helping lessen the long-term damaged caused to the skin. While these are all great tips for treating sunburns, the best course of action is still to prevent the sunburn from occurring in the first place! Wear sunscreen, tightly-woven clothing, and try to stay out of the sun.

Sources:

-- http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_147213.html

-- http://www.skincancer.org/prevention/sunburn/five-ways-to-treat-a-sunburn?gclid=CLHa7fmdvb8CFQMMaQod7IwAxQ

-- http://www.aad.org/dermatology-a-to-z/for-kids/about-skin/skin-cancer/treating-sunburn