So you got burned.
You thought it was going to be a fun day at the pool, but no. You got a sunburn. Well, I’m here to help. The following is the best advice I have on treating a sunburn:
- Apply a moisturizer that contains aloe on all the burned areas.
- Avoid products have benzocaine or lidocaine as these can often aggravate your skin.
- Make sure to keep hydrated. Getting a sunburn and being dehydrated typically go hand-in-hand. Drinking a lot of water and staying hydrated is going to help with the healing process.
- Avoid taking a hot shower, instead take cold or lukewarm showers.
- If it’s bad enough that you get blisters, leave them alone. Do not try to pop them, it’s a natural reaction your body uses to protect your skin and help heal the burns. Popping blisters or excessive scatching to burned areas can both cause visible skin damage and prolong the healing process.
- Avoid continuous exposure. Don’t go back out into the sun as this can obviously cause further damage and prolong the healing process
- Take an NSAID, like Advil, to help with the pain and swelling.
When to seek medical help? According to skincancer.org:
“You should seek medical help if you or a child has severe blistering over a large portion of the body, has a fever and chills, or is woozy or confused. Don’t scratch or pop blisters, which can lead to infection. Signs of infection include red streaks or oozing pus.”
Hope this was helpful. As always, do not start or change the way you use any medications without first talking with your pharmacist or primary care provider.
Take care.
Richard
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Richard Waithe, PharmD | Richard@MedVize.com
