Itching All Over

COOL IT: TREATING SUNBURN

You just enjoyed a lovely day at the beach, or out on the water. Three or four hours later, your skin feels hot and tight. Your body feels stiff, and you appear to be glowing. Perhaps without realizing it, you now have bright red sunburn.

FINDING SUNBURN RELIEF

How can you obtain comfort from scorching sunburn?

First, you can moisturize your sunburned skin generously. Moisturizing skin creams and non-greasy lotions can soothe the pain of sunburn and prevent sunburned skin from peeling. Creams or gels containing aloe vera usually offer the most comfort.

Do not apply butter, grease or oil-based products to painful sunburn, as these items will seal the heat into your sunburned skin and cause it to continue to burn.

Cold compresses can provide significant relief for sunburned body parts. An ice-pack, a cold washcloth, or even a bag of frozen peas can turn off the heat and provide comfort. Be sure to wrap your ice pack or cold bag in a soft cloth or towel before applying it to sunburned skin.

A cool bath, shower, or swim can offer some sunburn relief as well. Avoid using soap on sunburned body part, as it can dry the tender skin. Adding baking soda to bathwater may help.

Some medical professionals actually advise sunburn patients to apply cold skim milk directly to sunburned skin, believing the milk protein can coat and soothe damaged skin. (Skim milk is preferred, because it does not contain fats, which can seal burns into the skin.)

Over-the-counter pain relief medications, particularly anti-inflammatory compounds, such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen, can relieve some of the pain of sunburn.

Drinking lots of water helps is essential, if you are sunburned. Water tends to cool the entire body, and rehydration helps sunburned skin repair itself.

SUNBURN AS A MEDICAL EMERGENCY

Babies and very young children must be protected against sunburn. If a little one should experience significant sunburn, it is important to obtain medical assistance.

Older children and adults may require medical attention, if severe sunburn extends over most of their bodies. Overheating, dehydration and skin cancer may be concerns in such cases.

Of course, if your sunburned skin begins to blister, see a doctor immediately. Do not try to cover or wrap the burn blisters. Try to keep sunburned skin areas clean and dry until medical professionals have examined and treated them.

SUNBURN PREVENTION

Of course, the ideal treatment for sunburn (and skin cancer) is pre-treatment. It’s best to protect your skin against the sun’s harmful rays. Sun-block or sunscreen creams, loose-cotton protective clothing and shade can all help.

more posts of interest:

• Sunburn Relief – Part 1
• Sunburn treatment – Part 5
• Top 7 Tips To Treat And Prevent Sunburn
• Rash Caused by Sunburn
• Sunburn Treatment Few Effective Herbal Remedies