Top Tips For How To Heal Sunburn

By Deborah Lewis


Past generations of sun worshippers thought nothing about hitting the beach in the hottest part of the day and staying until they were baked. Most didn't bother with sunscreen or take the threat of skin cancer seriously. People are more careful today. If you ever stay too long on the beach or at the pool without proper protection however, you are going to need to know how to heal sunburn.

As soon as you notice your skin getting pink, you need to leave the beach and go inside. The pink will increase to red as the hours go on, and you will begin to feel the burn. It's a good idea to get into a shower as soon as possible when you have been overexposed to the sun. You can mix baking soda and water to make a cooling compress. Too much soap will dry out your skin.

Creams can be effective, but a lot of sufferers turn to them too soon. Aloe and hydrocortisone are good, but you don't want to apply them until your skin is beginning to heal. Once it gets to the itchy stage, the creams can be very soothing. If you have a severe burn, your doctor may recommend prescription creams.

There are a lot of natural remedies you can try that many people swear are extremely helpful and soothing. Cucumbers are full of analgesics and antioxidants. Mashing chilled cucumbers into a paste will give you some relief. Tea bags are great for a lot of things, including sunburns. Tea has tannic acids that can draw out the heat and restore the PH. You can also try cider vinegar added to your bath water.

Blisters mean you have second degree burns and that you could be in serious trouble. Rubbing the skin with antibiotic creams might help. Dry bandages applied over blister clusters will help prevent infection. It's tempting to pop the blisters, but that will cause new problems. It makes your skin more susceptible to infections and slows the healing process.

Any kind of infection can quickly become very serious. If you have burned skin, you need to look out for signs of increasing pain, fever, and discharge coming from the blisters. Any of these symptoms are worth a visit to the nearest walk-in clinic or, if you have a high fever, a trip to the emergency room.

There are a lot of old wives' tales about healing sunburns that aren't true and can be harmful. It is not true that putting petroleum jelly or butter on a burn will help it. This is something that can make it worse, cause allergic reactions, and increase the amount of time it takes your skin to heal. Over the counter remedies can be effective. Read the label before you use any of them on your skin though.

It's a lot of fun to go to the beach or the pool in the summer. The combination of sun, water, and heat can be very relaxing. You have to be careful that you don't overdo however, and end up with a painful reminder of your outdoor excursion.




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