UNO News Net: How to treat sunburn

Your skin can burn if it gets too much sun without proper protection from sunscreen and clothes. To help heal and soothe stinging skin, it is important to begin treating sunburn as soon as you notice it. The first thing you should do is get out of the sun—and preferably indoors.
Once indoors, these dermatologists’ tips can help relieve the discomfort:

Take frequent cool baths or showers to help relieve the pain. As soon as you get out of the bathtub or shower, gently pat yourself dry, but leave a little water on your skin. Then, apply a moisturizer to help trap the water in your skin. This can help ease the dryness.

Use a moisturizer that contains aloe vera or soy to help soothe sunburned skin. If a particular area feels especially uncomfortable, you may want to apply a hydrocortisone cream that you can buy without a prescription. Do not treat sunburn with “-caine” products (such as benzocaine), as these may irritate the skin or cause an allergic reaction.

Consider taking aspirin or ibuprofen to help reduce any swelling, redness and discomfort.

Drink extra water. A sunburn draws fluid to the skin’s surface and away from the rest of the body. Drinking extra water when you are sunburned helps prevent dehydration.

If your skin blisters, allow the blisters to heal. Blistering skin means you have a second-degree sunburn. You should not pop the blisters, as blisters form to help your skin heal and protect you from infection.

Take extra care to protect sunburned skin while it heals. Wear clothing that covers your skin when outdoors. Tightly-woven fabrics work best. When you hold the fabric up to a bright light, you shouldn’t see any light coming through.

Although it may seem like a temporary condition, sunburn—a result of skin receiving too much exposure from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays—can cause long-lasting damage to the skin. This damage increases a person’s risk for getting skin cancer, making it critical to protect the skin from the sun.
For questions about your sunburn or to learn how to better protect your skin from the sun, see a board-certified dermatologist.

The Best Treatments For Sunburns

By: Katherine George on Sunday, July 15th

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No matter how much we warn you against the damaging effects of UV sun exposure, you’ll still probably get at least one sunburn this summer.
However, too much sun exposure can cause serious damage to your skin, leaving it dehydrated, wrinkly, aged, and can even cause skin cancer. Despite the fact that we know you’ll do your best to protect your skin from sun damage by using a sunscreen with a high SPF—if you do end up with a painful, inflamed, itchy, blistering, flaky sunburn—you can find some relief with these 17 soothing treatments…

1. Oatmeal

Oatmeal is the bomb when it comes to soothing irritated, inflamed skin. It works wonders as a cool compress by wrapping a 1/2 cup of dry oatmeal in gauze, running it under cool water, and applying it directly to your sunburn every few hours.