How do you treat solar burns?

Unfortunately, summer is the time of year when the skin has to deal with numerous risks, including the onset of sunburns. Using sunscreens and UV creams, and avoiding prolonged exposure to the sun, especially in the hottest hours, are the precautions that allow you to avoid being affected. And if it is too late? What should you do in case of sunburns? What shouldn’t you do? Keep reading to learn more, and if you want to optimize your skincare and discover new treatments, click here.

What is meant by solar burn?

Solar burn is a skin reaction caused by excessive UV exposure, which severely damages the epidermis, that is the upper layer of the skin, triggering inflammation, redness, pain, and redness with the possible appearance of vesicles, fever, and chills. Let’s see in detail the most common immediate symptoms:

• Redness: Skin appears red and inflamed.
• Pain and Sensitivity: Skin can be sore and sensitive to touch.
• Swelling: Affected areas can swell.
• Blisters and Vesicles: In case of severe sunburn, blisters and vesicles may form.
• Skin Peeling: After a few days, the skin may begin to flak.
• Itching: The skin can become itchy as it heals.
• Fever, chills, headache, and feeling of weakness: These symptoms are caused by the release of cytokines due to the activation of the immune system in response to an infection.

In addition to these symptoms, solar burn can also cause long-term damages, such as:

• Premature Skin Aging: Wrinkles, sunspots, sagging, and loss of elasticity.
• Hyperpigmentation: Areas of darker skin or sunspots.
• Skin Cancer: Chronic UV exposure increases the risk of developing basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma.

What to do and what not to do in case of a solar burn?

The to-do list:

• Moisturize reddened skin with lotions, oils, and moisturizers. You can place the product in the refrigerator before application to ensure a refreshing effect, as well as moisturizing.

• Apply calming compresses, such as aloe vera gel, mint essential oil, or chamomile wraps.

• Take a cold shower or apply an ice pack wrapped in a cotton cloth directly to the affected areas.

• Wrap the areas with wet cloths and replace them with another as soon as you feel the sensation of heat again.

• Drink plenty of water to increase the hydration process from the inside.

• Use specific products against burns.

• In case of pain, use painkillers to relieve symptoms.

• In case of vesicles, apply antimicrobial and antibiotic ointments to the affected areas.

Not-to-do list:

• Perform peeling and scrubbing.

• Continue exposure to the sun in the days following solar erythema

• Undergo tanning sessions and lamps in the days following sunburn.

• Use benzocaine creams if you are allergic or hypersensitive to the product

• Taking a shower with hot water

• Dry skin with rough clothes after showering

• Scratching the skin in case of itching

• Burst and break vesicles

Prevention is better than cure!

To prevent all the discussed causes, some strategies must be put in place. The best known strategies are avoiding exposure to the sun at dangerous times and always applying sunscreen. Moreover, staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water and consuming foods rich in beta-carotene and vitamin E gives the skin the right resources to counteract sun damage. In addition, you don’t have to rush to get the coveted tan: exposure to the sun must be moderate and must take place gradually.

Conclusion

The sun is one of the greatest resources for our lives, but it can also become the greatest enemy of our skin at the same time. Protecting it is our duty, and so is properly treating the sunburn, which is one of the most widespread skin reactions of the summer.