How To Treat Sunburns Quickly
After enjoying a day at the beach or outside having fun, it is heartbreaking to discover a sunburn on your face or other parts of the body. Sunburns are itchy, irritating, tender, and even painful. Some are so severe they develop an abscess. But this is no cause for alarm. You can easily care for sunburnt skin at home and prevent any permanent scarring. In addition, there are many remedies you can try at home, proven to help heal sunburns and keep your skin healthy. If you do not treat sunburns, you stand risk of developing:
- Blisters
- Pain
- Discoloration
- Scarring
Therefore, the next time you get a sunburn, you can enforce any of the following tips to heal them quickly.
1. Run a soothing bath
The first thing you should do after discovering a sunburn is run a bath. The bath will help to soothe the inflamed areas. Additionally, you have to clean the affected area to reduce the chances of bacterial infection. Run a cold bath and soak in the bathtub for a while. This will help to reduce any inflammation thanks to the cool temperatures. You can also add oatmeal to the bath. This is a timeless trick that has proven effective in more than one way. Oatmeal helps to reduce inflammation of the skin and gently exfoliates the pealing skin. So grind some up and put it in the tub. Be sure to soak in the tub for 15 to 20 minutes. When soaking, avoid using soap. Unfortunately, soap can really dry out your skin, and this is not good for sunburn. Therefore, avoid using soap for a while.
2. Calm the inflammation
The next thing you need to do is reduce inflammation. When you experience a sunburn, the affected area can swell and feel warm to the touch. Additionally, you will notice some redness and tightness of the skin. There are a few tricks you can use to calm inflamed skin, starting with ice. First, you can use a cold compress on the skin to relieve inflammation. Just wrap the ice with a damp cloth and hold it over the affected area. This reduces blood flow to the vessels, preventing swelling. Additionally, it absorbs some of the heat. You can also improvise by using frozen vegetables. Alternatively, you can use tea bags to calm inflammation. Green and black tea have a property called tannic acid that helps to pull heat from sunburn. Additionally, they have antioxidant compounds that help to repair damage to the skin. Use wet tea bags to dab on the affected areas.
3. Relieve itching
Thirdly, you may experience some itching due to the irritation of the sunburn. It is crucial that you completely avoid scratching. The skin is very sensitive, and so scratching can cause the skin to tear and bleed. This could lead to bacterial infection. Instead of scratching, you can use a rash-relieving powder. The powder is designed to relieve the feeling of scratching. It has a gentle and soothing effect that will not scratch the skin. Additionally, you could speak to your dermatologist about hydrocortisone cream. This is a cream that reduces inflammation while soothing feelings of itchiness on the skin. It also reduces redness and eases the pain from sunburns. If itchiness is unbearable, you should consider this option after consulting with your dermatologist.
4. Hydrate
Your skin has a lot a lot of moisture due to exposure to the high temperatures. Therefore, it is dry and needs proper hydration to heal after and sooth the burn sensation. There are several ways you can hydrate. The first is to drink lots of water. Drinking water ensures that your skin receives enough hydration to stimulate healing and soothe the burning sensation. You can also snack on water-based fruits such as watermelon, grapefruit, strawberries, and tomatoes. Additionally, you can moisturize your skin to prevent it from drying out. After every bath, apply the appropriate moisturizing cream for your body. Your skin feels dryer than it usually is, so you must ensure to moisturize thoroughly. A good pro-tip to enhance the experience is to put your cream in the fridge for a while to chill. This will enhance the cooling effect on the skin. Similarly, you can slather on aloe vera, which helps to heal wounds. Aloe vera, whether natural or gel, does not irritate the skin and instead soothes inflammation. Again, you can put it in the fridge for a better effect. Coconut oil is another innovative way to hydrate your skin. However, you should only use processed coconut oil to prevent trapping heat on your skin. If you must use organic coconut oil, ensure that all blisters have healed completely. Coconuts oil is good for hydrating the skin, but not everyone can use it. Do a patch test to ensure you do not have allergic reactions. Additionally, if you develop acne quickly, you should avoid coconut oil. Again you can use it when it is chilled to help soothe the burning sensation.
5. Reduce pain
As mentioned severally before, sunburns can be pretty painful. As a result, you may have trouble lying down or even moving because the skin also feels tight. However, you must strive to get some rest to allow your body to heal. If you have an air mattress, use it to feel more soothing than a regular bed. If not, you can sprinkle some talcum powder on your sheets before you sleep. This will minimize friction. Additionally, wear loose clothing or no clothing at all to prevent any more irritation. There is no shame in selecting mediation when the pain is unbearable. Aspirin and other pain killers can aid any pain you experience. Your skin should heal naturally and painlessly. In conclusion, if you want a painless, trouble-free recovery, be sure to follow these steps. When your skin begins to peel, ensure that you resist the urge to pull on loose skin. Pulling could expose the skin underneath to air and irritation, worsening the condition. Instead, let it happen naturally and always follow the advice of a dermatologist.
