A sunburn indicates sun damage has occurred to your skin due to prolonged exposure to UV radiation. This excess damage from the UV light causes the skin to get inflamed, red, irritated, and sensitive. Prevention of skin damage is always vital. However, when you do get sunburned, here are nine strategies to treat it:
Try To Avoid UV Damage
First, it is imperative to get out of the sun after an overdose of sun exposure and seek shade to avoid more UV damage. After getting a sunburn, the severity of the burn is dependent on preventing more sun, especially during peak hours when sun rays are most intense.
It allows your skin to calm down and lessens the chance of further aggravating your skin, causing more skin inflammation. Additionally, make sure to apply a full broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 30 and above daily, even on overcast days. It is imperative to help prevent and protect your skin from photodamage.
Even with the liberal application of your sunscreen, it is tremendously useful to wear big sunglasses and a brimmed hat when going outside during the day for extra UV protection.
Take A Cool Bath
After getting a sunburn, take a refreshing, cold shower with some added soothing ingredients like lavender and chamomile essential oils to help relieve pain, redness, and stinging that ensues.
If you prefer to take a bath, then you could use two scoops of baking soda in your cold bathtub water or even soak cotton pads in baking soda with cold water and apply it on your skin. This formula is an excellent way to cleanse, moisturize, and rebalance your skin’s pH levels, which gets disturbed from the UV damage exposure.
Baking soda’s alkaline property treats skin redness, reduces inflammation, and prevents itching sensations by adjusting your skin’s pH balance to a healthier state to promote faster healing.
Avoid The Use Of Regular Soap
It is important to be cautious of the cleansing and bathing ingredients you typically use. You may want to swap them for milder ingredients that would not irritate your sensitive burned skin, further worsening your skin’s condition and thereby causing more inflammation to persist.
Switching your typical bathing products for witch hazel, apple cider, white vinegar, or baking soda would be better options for your already delicate skin. An ingredient like vinegar is a fantastic astringent that further encourages soothing sunburns. Try to avoid regular soaps for milder, nonirritating, and fragrance-free versions like soothing oatmeal.
Additionally, avoid applying any drying face masks, acne medications, anti-aging cosmetic products, toners, or serums with salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and other similar types of active ingredients that can worsen flare-ups. An element like witch hazel is another significant component to apply for sunburns as it has both calming and anti-inflammatory properties.
Use Chilled Compresses
When applied to the affected areas, it is useful in relieving some of the immediate swelling, pain, and burning sensations attributed to sunburns. A smooth, at-home DIY solution you can apply to your sunburnt skin is milk, ice cubes, and freshwater.
This remedy creates a cooling compress that, when applied to your skin, helps to reduce inflammation and rebalances your skin’s pH level with the fat protein in the milk. The chilled ingredients will also constrict your blood vessels and further reduce skin swelling. Additionally, the lactic acid in milk helps to exfoliate the damaged superficial layers of the skin gently.
Another at-home remedy is to use slightly chilled black tea. The natural tannic acid in black tea restores the skin’s pH balance and helps to draw out heat from the skin, which contributes to reducing skin inflammation.
The Use Of Gels And Lotion Like Aloe Vera
Applying gels and lotions formulated for compromised and burned skin like Aloe Vera gel helps to soothe and moisturize a sunburn. Aloe Vera gel’s botanical ingredients have powerful anti-inflammatory ingredients that reduce swelling. By keeping Aloe Vera gel refrigerated, the cooler temperature applied to the skin also works to reduce inflammation.
Slathering cooling Aloe Vera gel on your sunburn throughout the day is an excellent way to soothe the area. Vitamin E oil is another natural at-home product that can help in healing your sunburn. Vitamin E, either applied on the skin or taken in supplement form, is useful in decreasing inflammation or has the added benefit of providing your skin with antioxidants. For chapped lips, the simple use of petroleum jelly or Aquaporin ointment is sufficient to moisturize severely dry, cracked lips.
Ingredients For DIY Remedies
There are many great at-home ingredients for DIY remedies that help soothe and keep inflammation at bay. It includes cucumbers, which have natural antioxidants and soothing properties. When chilled and mashed in a blender. The cucumbers create a fantastic paste for applying on your sunburn.
This cucumber mask works exceptionally well on dry, peeling skin. Other compounds that work very well for sunburned skin include starch- base ingredients like potatoes. When chopped raw and rubbed on the affected areas, they can help to calm redness and inflammation.
Be Hydrated
Hydration is essential when you are recovering from a sunburn. Drinking plenty of water helps with the extreme drying effects of sunburn by replacing lost body fluids and contributing to rehydrating the skin.
Drinking water is necessary for your skin’s improvement. Because eating fruits like melons are also significant in improving your skin. Watermelon or cantaloupe contains a lot of water. It is an excellent source for added hydration while also providing your skin with beneficial vitamins and antioxidants. It improves your skin’s tone and texture.
Took Anti-Inflammatory Over Medication
Taking anti-inflammatory over the counter medications like ibuprofen is a skin saver by helping to reduce skin inflammation while it is also providing relief for the pain and discomfort from sunburn.
Apply Hydrocortisone Cream
Depending on the level of the sunburn, over-the-counter topical 1% hydrocortisone cream can help to relieve swelling, pain, and itching. If mild blisters form, this is a more severe case of sunburn.
It is best to prevent further damage, tearing, or scarring from forming in the blistered area. It is critical to bandage any sunburn blisters correctly to make sure that you avoid picking or popping the blister. To prevent infection and limit scarring, make sure the dressing is clean. In more extreme cases of sunburn and blistering, go in for a consultation with a dermatologist.
A physician would be better able to accurately diagnose the severity of your condition and place you on the appropriate skincare regimen with stronger prescription medications to avoid scarring and further damage.
Avoid Tight Clothing
Wear comfortable, loose, and soft clothes if your body has a sunburn. Tight clothing can exacerbate the areas of skin that are in constant friction with your dress. Synthetic fabrics like polyester and nylon blends are also best to be avoided until your sunburn heals completely. Opt instead for simple loose-fitting cotton clothing that would lessen skin irritation.
Final Words
It is most important to try to avoid UV rays damage to your skin. It is extremely diligent with your daily sun care. This routine is good to prevent UV ray’s skin damage from occurring in the first place. Prevention is always key.
Sunburns are a sign from your body that there has been skin damage. And after your skin heals and the top superficial layer of skin peels off. Whereas the newly exposed skin is even more sensitive. Therefore, the new skin will burn even faster without the proper sun care to protect your skin.
Never forget the importance of wearing a physical, broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 30 and above. It must be with zinc and titanium dioxide to maintain healthy, youthful, and beautiful skin.
