Home Remedies for Sunburn

Everyone is aching to go out, especially during this pandemic. This is why people are looking for ways to experience sunlight, by going to the beach or by simply sunbathing. Realistically, however, it can also mean experiencing excessive sun exposure. This condition is called sunburn. Sunburn occurs when the skin suffers from too much exposure from the ultraviolet rays that come from the sun.  You can tell that the skin is sunburned when there is pain, redness, swelling, peeling, and inflammation. Sunburn should not be taken lightly as it can lead to severe health complications like skin cancer.

There are multiple ways to protect yourself from the sun. You can wear protective clothing, use sunscreen, and apply moisturizer. Unfortunately, there are times that you will still get mild sunburns. Thus, there will be a need to treat sunburn by subscribing to medical advice from dermatologists, like applying anti-inflammatory creams, or they may give stronger steroid creams based on the burn severity. Doctor’s visits can be expensive though. So for a mild sunburn, home remedies can be effective 

Here are some of the medically-reviewed home remedies for sunburn:

Soak in cold water

Dipping in cool water is the easiest sunburn relief and among the best home remedies. The most common way you can do this is to simply take a cool bath. The cold water bath will help relieve the sunburned skin, alleviate the pain, and soothe your overall body. As you soak in bath water, you will need to refrain from using soap to avoid an irritating reaction from the sunburn. However, keep in mind that soaking in bath water is not the only water to treat sunburn. You can still dip in and out of waters from the lake, stream, or ocean. What you need to avoid is pool water because of its chlorinated component that will cause a sunburn's irritating reaction and potential infection.

Mix cool water with vinegar, baking soda, and oatmeal

Taking a bath with cool water can soothe sunburn, and adding these natural ingredients will improve your recovery. First, the vinegar will help ease the sunburned skin's pain and inflammation. Second, the baking soda will relieve the burned skin's pain, irritation, and swelling. Lastly, the oatmeal contains anti-inflammatory components that will soothe itchiness. As you soak yourself in cold water, expect these natural ingredients to heal your sunburned areas. These ingredients are highly recommended for severe sunburns.

Avoid excessive sun exposure and sleep a lot

If you are already suffering from sunburn pain, it wouldn't be wise to keep exposing yourself to the sun especially when the burn severe. Any additional exposure would disrupt your healing process and lead to more burning. To avoid sunlight, make sure to only go out when the sun is low on the horizon. If you will also be staying indoors to avoid the sunlight, you might as well get a lot of sleep. Sleeping will help the body develop cytokines that will relieve the inflammation. As a result, the sunburn healing process will tend to accelerate.

Drink plenty of water

In treating sunburn, it is also important to drink a lot of water.. Sunburned skin is a sign of damage from getting too much sunlight. The ultraviolet rays reduce the moisture in your skin. Thus, there is a need to re-hydrate yourself by drinking plenty of water. This means following the usual eight glasses of water per day, which is also a minimum health requirement. You are also welcome to re-hydrate yourself with sports drinks.

Wear loose clothing

Your skin must be given space to heal especially with a severe burn. This means not wearing clothes that will stick to your skin, especially the burned area.  Sunburned spots usually have blisters, redness, and peeling areas so the skin must be given space to breathe as part of the healing process.. To avoid suffocating your skin, some of the recommended clothes you should wear are those made of wool, polyester, cotton, and bamboo.

Apply cool compresses on sunburns

Applying a cold compress is  easy yet often misinterpreted. Upon hearing this, the first instinct is to compress ice directly on areas where there is peeling and pain. People who experience sunburn are tempted to experience the cool and soothing feeling on the skin. However, doing this could make the sunburn blisters more severe. The correct way to utilize ice is to wrap it in a piece of cloth and apply it to the sunburned skin. Apply the cool compress in only five to fifteen-minute intervals to safely soothe the skin and help ease the pain.

Put pure aloe vera gel in affected skin

Aloe vera gel is a suitable alternative. It is a proven topical and medical relief for mild and severe sunburn. The main component, aloe, has anti-inflammatory components that can also stop bacteria from spreading. Apply the aloe vera gel on the skin that has sunburn. This treatment is also recommended by dermatologists.

Apply honey or Chamomile Tea on sunburn

Another alternative natural treatment that is recommended by health and medical professionals is honey. Honey is inherently anti-inflammatory because of its antibacterial and anti-fungal components. If you don't have a moisturizer, honey serves as a sustainable alternative as it can protect the skin from 80 types of microorganisms. This will provide a soothing feeling to areas that are experiencing sunburn. For chamomile tea, you will need to brew it first and once it cools down, use a wet cloth to absorb the liquid. After this, apply the cloth to the sunburn.

Refrain from applying oil on sunburns

A famous rumor is that oils such as coconut oil and lavender oil are effective in curing sunburns. However, this is not recommended by any dermatologist, given the mixed results from animal experiments. If you apply oil to the sunburn, the blisters on your skin might worsen.

Other doctor-recommended medication:

If you want professional help in preventing sunburns, HOO Dermatology is offering multiple UVB absorption and UVA protection agents such as Obagi Sun Shield Broad Spectrum SPF 50 and Soothing Complex Broad Spectrum SPF 25 . You can also use Professional-C Suncare SPF 30 to address your aging skin. If you prefer medications that prevent and address sunburns, HOO’s recommended products are Heliocare Oral and Heliocare Pure White Radiance Max 240.