Sunburns
Sunburn is a typical damage happening to the skin if the skin is exposed to the sunlight for a long period of time. Mainly ultra violet radiation in the sun’s rays is responsible for causing sunburn. The various signs of sunburn just come out in a few hours after the sunburn. These signs include redness in the skin, swelling, excessive pain and even blistering sometimes. There are more chances that a large part of the skin has been exposed to the sun and might result in headache, high body temperature and exhaustion. It might be very dangerous if the sunburn continues for a long period of time, as it might end up in skin cancer.
Sun’s radiations are not the only cause behind sunburns as it can also be caused by a few pharmaceutical products like certain antibiotics, or tranquilizers. People with red hair are more open to skin burns as their skin is lighter.
One has to be careful that skin doesn’t get exposed to sun rays for a long time and if the situation is really unavoidable then carry an umbrella or wear wide trimmed hat. Also minimize the exposure to the sunlight between 10am and 4 pm. There are certain commercial products that block UV rays and are named as sun blocks or sunscreens. These have a Sunburn Protection Factor (SPF) rating, based on its capacity to top and suppress sunburn. Thus, higher is a rating, the more it is efficient in protecting the skin from sunburn.
In case your skin gets affected and show any sign of sunburn, then the following are a few handy tips:
- Just take a shower. For some relief from the burns and pains, just add products like cornstarch or oatmeal or even baking soda to the fresh water before bathing with it.
- Use aloe Vera on skin that is affected. It is one of the best herbal products that can help the skin in any worse situation.
- If there are blisters on the skin, don’t touch them as this might slow down the healing process and spread the infection. And if the blisters just burst out on their own, then use an anti bacterial cream or lotion on the area.
- If the pain is very extreme, just take some pain relievers such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others), naproxen (Aleve) or acetaminophen (Tylenol, others). A precaution has to be taken, that young people under teens or in teens should not be given aspirin. This might result in Reye’s syndrome, though the chances are very little, but the disease is highly dangerous.
Petroleum jellies, butter and other home remedies should not be used in case of sunburn. This might have side effects on the skin which might delay or even sometime stop the healing process.
If the sunburn shows no improvement after a few days and the blisters begin to increase or even increases in the form of rashes and fever, then it is more appropriate to take advice from an expert doctor.