Have you been sunburned? Here are the remedies and products to use
Get ready to forgo the sun and make friends with aloe vera and oatmeal
G-Club
July 17th, 2024
July 17th, 2024
Getting sunburned is not cool. But, unfortunately, it’s very common. Even if we’ve taken sunscreen seriously and avoided excessive sun exposure, sunburns can still happen. Sometimes the sunscreen can’t withstand the scorching temperatures and intense rays, or perhaps we forgot to reapply it after a dip in the sea or dozed off on the beach towel, leaving us as red as a lobster with itchy and burning skin. The damage is done. While there’s no miraculous and immediate remedy, there are several products and treatments to cool the burn, reduce redness, and speed up the healing process.
What is a sunburn?
A sunburn is an acute inflammatory reaction of the outer layers of the skin caused by UV rays or other sources like tanning beds. It’s characterized by redness, peeling skin, pain, swelling, and blisters. The sun’s ultraviolet radiation damages the skin molecules and DNA, triggering an immune response that increases blood flow to the affected areas and initiates an inflammatory reaction. The two types of ultraviolet light are UVA and UVB. While the former penetrates deeper and accelerates the skin aging process, the latter is more dangerous due to its aggressiveness. UVB rays are directly responsible for tanning but also cause sunburns, allergic reactions, redness, and other visible changes on the skin surface, like skin spots. Additionally, they play a role in causing skin cancer.
How to recognize the severity of a sunburn
The initial redness associated with sunburn can start just 10-15 minutes after sun exposure but can take up to 12 hours to peak, resulting in intense and painful redness. Before proceeding with treatment, it’s good to recognize its severity. A first-degree burn affects the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin. It’s a simple erythema presenting as redness, swelling, and mild blisters. The good news is it typically heals on its own in a few days. A second-degree burn affects the second layer of the skin and is characterized by high sensitivity to touch, even from clothing, widespread red blisters, pain, and skin discoloration. Healing takes 2 to 3 weeks and can be treated at home, but it’s best to consult a doctor. Finally, a third-degree sunburn affects all layers of the skin with symptoms that can include loss of sensation, burned hair, blackening or whitening of the skin, and charring. Emergency hospital treatment is required in this case.
@drhankopelman What type of burn do you have? I’ll show you the 3 degrees of burns. #burns #blisters #scars #hotsoup original sound - Dr. Hannah Kopelman
What’s the first thing to do if you get sunburned?
The first thing to do if you’ve turned red as a bell pepper might seem obvious: get out of the sun and stay in the shade until fully healed. The second is to act quickly and cool the skin immediately. Experts suggest wrapping some ice in a cloth and applying the compress to the affected areas to soothe the burning, or alternatively, soaking a cloth in milk and passing it over the skin. Milk contains vitamins A and D, which help repair damaged cells, and lactic acid, a gentle exfoliant that helps dead skin slough off. A cool shower is also a good idea, as long as it’s not too long. Obviously, avoid using harsh soaps and don’t rub to prevent further irritation. Many people combine topical treatments with an anti-inflammatory or pain reliever like ibuprofen or naproxen.
Try a milk or oatmeal bath
After cooling the irritated area with compresses and cool showers, we can find relief in the following days with a milk or oatmeal bath. This finely ground ingredient is known for its anti-inflammatory properties, and thanks to compounds called avenanthramides, it’s effective in controlling itching. You can DIY by grinding a cup of oatmeal in a blender and adding it to a tub full of lukewarm water or buy a product that contains it, like Aveeno’s Soothing Bath Soak.
Remember to stay hydrated
Skin fighting the damage caused by ultraviolet rays needs extra hydration to replenish lost fluids. Therefore, it’s necessary to drink plenty of water and keep the skin hydrated from the outside by applying a gentle moisturizer. Some people, after showering, opt for a hydrocortisone cream followed by a moisturizer containing aloe vera or soy.
Use gentle products
We need to ensure that the products we apply to sunburn don’t contain alcohol, exfoliating acids, retinols, or retinoids because they can irritate and dry out the skin, worsening the situation. It’s also best to avoid highly scented products. Instead, look for ingredients like peptides, known for their wound-healing properties. Vitamin C, ferulic acid, and vitamin E are great too as they help fight free radical damage and address sun exposure damage. Try super gentle creams and cleansers, high in water content, soothing and calming. Look for aloe vera, cucumber, shea butter, hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and glycerin in the ingredient list. You can even try an all-natural remedy by cutting an aloe vera leaf and applying the gel directly to the sunburn for immediate soothing.
ESI - Aloe Vera Gel
16,90€
RITUALS - The Ritual of Karma After Sun Serum
9,90€
ROUGJ - Aftersun Stick SOS sunburns
14,90€
AVEENO - Soothing Bath Soak
20,55€
EUCERIN - Aquaphor Repairing Treatment
FIDIA - Connettivina Sole Spray
12,34€
COLLISTAR - Moisturizing After-Sun Shower-Shampoo
14,70€
PREP - Dermoprotective Cream SOS Irritations
10,07€
AVENE - Cicalfate Scar Gel
10,96€
12,90€
SVR - Sun Secure Spray Apres Soleil Spray
23€
Let's Try Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is one of the most popular remedies for sunburns due to its soothing and healing properties, as well as its anti-inflammatory and analgesic characteristics. This makes it an excellent natural after-sun product and an ingredient to look for in products we use to treat burns. If we decide to opt for aloe vera gel, many recommend keeping it in the refrigerator so that it is refreshing, particularly soothing, and provides immediate relief when applied. Alternatively, some suggest trying petroleum jelly.
Hands Off the Blisters and During Peeling
We need to leave our skin alone and resist the temptation to pick at it while it heals, especially during the peeling phase. We should neither scratch nor exfoliate it. Popping any blisters that may form would also be detrimental, increasing the risk of infection. To keep our hands off, we can cover the area with a sterile, non-stick bandage.
@rose.friederike No more SUNBURN ig: rose.friederike #aloeveraskincare #sunburn #summerhack #beautytips #skincaretip Following the Sun - SUPER-Hi & NEEKA
Avoid Make-Up
Covering redness with foundation and other products is a bad idea because it prevents the skin from getting oxygen and may further irritate it. Let's stick to moisturizing and be patient until complete healing. We will have other opportunities to showcase the latest beauty trends and the make-up of the summer.
When to Consult a Doctor
Suppose we have a severe burn, many blisters, swelling or pus, a fever above 38°C, are severely dehydrated, feel confused, have nausea, headache and chills, or are vomiting. In that case, it is time to consult a doctor who can help us determine the best way to take care of our skin.