Have you heard the saying “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”? That is so true when it comes to sun damage…. it’s much easier to prevent it then to “fix” it. That’s why you should read my post about sunscreen and sun protective swim wear before you need this sunburn post. I’ve seen a lot of pictures of sun burns in my social media feeds lately. Everyone is on Summer vacations and spending time at the pool so it is the season of the sunburn. Here are some tips for treating those uncomfortable sunburns.
1. For swelling, pain and discomfort take what you might take for a headache. Consider something like tylenol or motrin.
2. Take cool showers or baths-The cold water can feel soothing.
3. Moisturize- Most important after that cool shower. Pat yourself with a towel but before completely dry lather up in a good moisturizer such as vaseline to lock all the moisture from the shower into your skin.
4. Use over the counter hydrocortisone- Try to stay away from “the -caines” and other over the counter lotions and potions that promise pain relief, they can irritate the skin and make things even worse.
5. Drink lots of water- When the skin is burned it pulls water from the body into the skin so you need to hydrate.
6. Protect your skin- Twice as important when you are burnt. Wear long sleeves and other sun protective clothing and sunscreen if you go outside.
7. Leave blisters alone- The skin forms blisters with second degree burns to heal and protect the skin from infection. If you pop the blister and pull the roof off the top of the blister you are opening up your skin barrier to infection. Just let them heal.
I hope none of you need my sunburn tips but if you do I won’t judge. I understand how hard it is to sun protect. The struggle really is real. If you are miserable come see me in the clinic and there are some prescriptions we can give you to get you through that sunburn. Hope your weekend was as good as mine was!
“The sun is up, the sky is blue, it’s beautiful and so are you!”, xoxo, Nina
