What is Sun Burn – A sunburn is a form of radiation burn that affects living tissue, such as skin, that results from an overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, commonly from the sun. When spending any length of extended time outside it is important to always remember to apply and RE-APPLY (this is imperative) sunscreen all over your body throughout the day. Failure to do so could result in sunburn and potentially permanently damage your skin. However, should your fun in the sun result in a burn try these home remedies to help ease the pain and potentially speed up your recovery.
1. Use Noxzema facial cleanser. Noxzema was originally devised to provide relief from sunburns. Here’s what to do: Buy a 334ml container (without a pump) of Noxzema
Original Cold Cream. Begin applying a thick layer of Noxzema to the affected area as soon as you get home and suspect a burn. Do not wait to see if your skin turns red. You should be able to see a layer of white. Let it sit. When most of the moisture has been absorbed by your damaged skin, apply more Noxzema on top. Do not rinse off, as doing so will just dry your skin out further. Continue applications every 2 to 8 hours depending on the severity of your burn.
2. Brew 3 or 4 tea bags in a pitcher of warm water. When the tea is almost black, remove the teabags and let the liquid cool to room temperature. Gently dab the sunburn with a cloth soaked in the tea. Apply as much as you’d like, but do not wash it off. Don’t be shy, the more, the better. If the burn is severe dab your skin with the teabags directly. Try to do this at bedtime so it can “work its magic” overnight. Shower it off the next morning and you’ll see and feel a big difference. *Be careful with clothing, as tea liquid stains.
3. Use a cool cloth dampened with skim milk to rest on the burned skin. The coolness relieves the initial fire, and the milk creates a protein film that helps ease the ensuing discomfort.
4. Apply the juice of a tomato to your skin. If the burn is very recent (still red and not peeling), Tomato juice is acidic but it doesn’t hurt and helps the redness. Note: eating tomatoes regularly is probably more effective against being sunburned than using them after the fact.
5. Add ½ a cup of baking soda or some oatmeal to a bath. This will help to reduce the swelling and itching if there is any present.
6. Peel and mash 3-4 apricots and apply the mix to your burn. Leave on for 15 minutes and wash off with lukewarm water.
7. Aloe Vera. Aloe Vera is the classic remedy. You get bad sunburn and almost anyone’s initial response is “Apply some aloe.” Is this advice warranted? Well, the actual aloe vera plant has over two millennia of history as a medicine across many traditional cultures spanning multiple regions, including China, India, Latin America, Japan, Russia, and Africa. Modern research has confirmed its effects on blood lipids, glucose tolerance, wound healing (has been shown to slow and speed up healing rates in different studies), and first- and second-degree burn recovery, but, strangely enough, not on sunburn. It neither prevents nor heals sunburns. That said, it does appear to soothe the pain associated with sunburns, so go ahead and apply.
Getting sunburn is a very bad idea. It looks bad, hurts, peels and inflicts long-lasting, wrinkle-inducing damage. It’s especially bad for children: Even one blistering burn may be a risk of serious skin cancer. We are prescribe some home remedy for sunburn but if you see or feel some long lasting damage on your skin and any sign of skin reddening on yourself and your child skin, please contact us on (281) 542-3998 for urgent care.
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