Sanjay was delighted to spend a weekend away from the hot, crowded city to relax in the quiet and untouched sandy beaches of Mangalore. He had decided that after being stuck in his office cubicle for so long, it was time to enjoy outside in the sun and the beaches. However a day after being in the sun, Sanjay got what he did not bargain for... He was severely sun tanned with his skin red, inflamed. Some parts of his body were so severely sun burnt that it started to peel… Out to enjoy a weekend, Sanjay was stuck in his air conditioned room, grimacing in pain while his skin showed no signs of improvement…
Here are some tips that Sanjay’s friend gave that would help anyone who is sunburned,
You know you skin is sun burnt after it looks oddly red, there is pain, inflammation and even blisters on it. You may also find that your skin peels when you try to touch it. The first thing you should do when you are sun burnt is cover your skin and move away from direct exposure of sun to a cooler place.
Cool showers- The first thing you need to do to heal the sun burnt area is to get ready for a bath. The cool water will calm the inflammation and heal the burns. When you are taking a bath remember to keep away from the unnecessary chemicals like scented soaps, shower gels that may irritate your skin at the moment.
Another home remedy to cool your self is by getting a healing bath. To get it ready, add 2 cups of baking oil in tepid or lukewarm water and add 10 drops of lavender oil to it for 10 minutes till it dissolves. Soak your body in this water for 20 minutes. Baking soda in the water draws out the heat from your skin and lavender oil is useful in reducing inflammation of the skin.
Dry gently- After you take a cool shower remember to be gentle when you dry your skin. Do not rub but pat dry with a soft towel to avoid more irritation to the skin.
Don’t peel- A serious sun burnt skin will start peeling off due to the damage caused. Peeling skin is not only an unattractive sight but it can causes infection too. So remember however strong the urge to peel the skin, let it be, of the some part of the skin appears to hang loosely, you need to carefully cut it out with a scissors. Apply an antibacterial ointment after you cut off the dead skin.
Cold compress- Keeping a cool compress made of cold water and cold milk is known to be useful in keeping the area cool and soothing the skin. Remember to keep the compress for not more than 20 minutes and change the compress after 2-3 hours.
Aloe gel- Aloe Vera, the cactus plant, found in extreme hot climates holds the solution to red, inflamed sun burnt skin. Aloe vera has anti-bacterial properties that prevent infection and cooling property that helps reduce the inflammation.
If you have an Aloe-vera plant at home, chip off one leaf of the plant and keep it in the refrigerator. After an hour in the fridge, peel the outer layer of the leaf and squeeze out the gel and apply directly on your skin. You can alternately also buy a gel that contains natural aloe extracts and apply to your skin.
H2O- The best way to cool your body and hydrate yourself is by drinking water. So while you are suffering from skin burns due to heat, bring your body’s temperature down by sipping plenty of water and other natural cool drinks. Drinking up to 8 glasses of water a day is necessary when your skin is seriously sun burnt with skin peeling out.
