We would be remiss if we started this blog without reminding you how important it is to protect yourself from UV rays. It may sound like common sense, but many people don’t take sunburns seriously. Perhaps they don’t know that a person’s risk for melanoma doubles if he or she has had more than five sunburns. So, if you’ve ever heard anyone say something along the lines of, “It will turn into a tan eventually!” point them toward this article to help them out.
If you ever do find yourself with a sunburn, here are a few steps to take right away to soothe the burn, speed up recovery time and prevent yourself from feeling worse.
4 Tips for Treating a Bad Sunburn
- Get out of the sun, fast! The first thing to do is to get out of the sun immediately to prevent the burn from getting worse. After that, you can take some steps toward cooling the skin down with a cool bath or shower. Just remember not to bathe for too long, as it might dry the skin out. Same goes for using harsh soap, which might irritate the burn. After your rinse, put on non-petroleum or non-oil based moisturizing lotion while the skin is still damp.
- Rehydrate right away. Sunburns can make you dehydrated even if you feel like you drank plenty of water prior to getting burned, especially if you were out in the heat all day. Drink plenty of water and other liquids to avoid feeling sick.
- Reduce inflammation. Taking an anti-inflammatory painkiller (i.e. an NSAID like ibuprofen, aspirin or naproxen) will take the sting out of a sunburn. Topical treatments like aloe vera or over-the-counter 1 percent cortisone cream can also soothe the redness and irritation. Avoid tight, scratchy clothing while your sunburn is healing.
- Consult a doctor. Many sunburns will go away on their own (and again, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take them seriously), but there are a few signs that you should seek medical help for your sunburns. Severe blisters, fever and chills are indicators you should get to the doctor ASAP.
Sun Damage Treatment Options at ENTFPSS
These tips can help soothe your redness and itchiness, but once you get burned the damage has already been done. Sunburns put you at risk for skin cancer and premature aging. The best protection is to stay out of the sun, and wear protective clothing if you do need to be in the sun. Our MedSpa offers services such as microdermabrasion, laser skin resurfacing, Restylane, Botox, Juvederm and much more. Reach out to speak with one of our experts about skin care at ENTFPSS.
