Sunburn
Sunburn
Even before there was a hole in the ozone layer, going to the seashore could leave you sea-sore. But now, with more harmful ultraviolet rays peeking through, limiting your sun exposure is essential, particularly between the sizzling summer hours of 10:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M. The best prevention is also a wise precaution: Wear sunscreen with an SPF (sun protection factor) of 15 all the time.
Okay, but maybe you forgot. And now you're in pain. Well, you can try those old standbys aloe and over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream. Even an extra moisturizer can help a lot. But when you have too much fun in the sun, here are some other ways to take the fire out of sunburn pain.
Just add milk. "Dip some gauze into milk and apply it to your sunburned skin," says dermatologist John F. Romano, M.D., clinical assistant professor of medicine at The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center in New York City. The milk should be about room temperature or slightly cooler but not refrigerator-cold. "Milk is an excellent remedy for any kind of burn," notes Dr. Romano.
Keep this milk compress on the burn for 20 minutes or so, and repeat every two to four hours. Since milk can leave skin smelling "sour," be sure to rinse yourself off with cool water afterward.
Be soothed by vegetables. Boil some lettuce in water, then strain it and let the liquid cool for a few hours in the refrigerator before applying it to your skin with cotton balls, recommends Lia Schorr, a New York City skin care specialist and author of Lia Schorr's Seasonal Skin Care. Other vegetables that produce results? Thinly sliced pieces of raw cucumber, potato or apple can be placed on sunburned areas such as the forearm. The coolness from the vegetables is soothing and might help reduce inflammation.
Get Jolly Green skin care. Wrapping a bag of frozen corn or peas in a towel and applying it to the burned area also helps cool the pain, says dermatologist Frederic Haberman, M.D., a clinical instructor of medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in New York City. But be sure, to wrap it first, so you don't place the icy package directly on your skin.
Double your dosage of pain reliever. "Probably the best thing you can do is to take two times the recommended amount of ibuprofen (Advil) or another pain reliever for the first two doses and then go to the recommended dose," advises Dr. Romano. Doubling the usual dosage of ibuprofen or aspirin helps block a chemical in your body that causes pain. But check with your doctor, since some people have a reaction to aspirin. And remember not to give aspirin to children because of the risk of Reye's syndrome.
Eat for vitamin E. A regular dose of vitamin E is thought to do a host of good, providing protection from a variety of things from heart attack in men to fibroid tumors in women. "It also decreases the inflammation you can get from sunburn," says Karen E. Burke, M.D., Ph.D., a dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon in New York City who has studied the effects of vitamin E. Good food sources of vitamin E include whole grains such as wheat germ, vegetable oils--especially sunflower and soybean oil--and nuts.
If you choose to purchase vitamin E supplements, be sure to read the small print: You should get only the natural form. But check with your doctor before taking vitamin E or other vitamin supplements.
What about rubbing vitamin E on your skin? Although you can also treat sunburn with a direct application of vitamin E by opening a vitamin E acetate capsule and rubbing the liquid directly on your skin, it's more effective to take it internally to decrease sunburn pain, suggests Dr. Burke.
When to See the Doctor An everyday case of sunburn may hurt like the dickens, but it usually doesn't require medical help. However, get yourself to a doctor if you experience chills, nausea, fever, faintness or fatigue, warns dermatologist Rodney Basler, M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. And be sure to get help immediately if your burn is accompanied by purple blotches or discoloration, excessive blistering or intense itching. These symptoms may indicate internal complications. |
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To Make Matters Worse... Some diuretics, antibiotics, tranquilizers, birth control pills and diabetes medications can add more salt to your sunburn wounds. They can make you sun-sensitive. So can some medicated soaps, perfumes and Retin-A, the wrinkle "remover." So if you use any of these medications or products, doctors advise you to take extra precautions when exposing your skin to the sun. |
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Soak yourself in diluted vinegar. "Pour one cup of white cider kitchen vinegar into a tub of tepid water and soak yourself in it," recommends Harry Roth, M.D., clinical professor of dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco. "It's very soothing to your skin and helps relieve the pain of sunburn."
Or try baking soda and cornstarch. Another recipe for relief, also from the kitchen cabinet: Mix 1/4 cup of baking soda and 1/4 cup of cornstarch into a tub of tepid water and soak yourself, adds Dr. Roth.
Heal with oatmeal. If you find the smell of vinegar or milk too intense, you can wrap dry oatmeal in some gauze or cheesecloth and run cool water through it, suggests Dr. Haberman. Wring out the excess water and apply the cloth for 20 minutes every two to four hours.
Don't be too clean. While you have sunburn, stay away from highly fragrant bubble baths, soaps, colognes and perfumes, according to Thomas Gossel, Ph.D., R.Ph., professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Ohio Northern University College of Pharmacy in Ada. They may be too drying and irritating to your already parched skin. Stick with mild soaps and don't scrub too hard when you wash.
