Sunburns can run the gamut from unsightly (peeling skin) to deadly (melanoma - skin cancer), so early intervention in treatment can help mitigate the long-term effects – and ultimately, the damage done to the body. That includes lips, ears, and eyes – literally any exposed skin.
Health Canada recommends first relieving the pain with a cool (not cold) bath or shower, followed by “cool compresses several times a day”; however, HC warns not to “wash burned skin with harsh soap.”
Aloe gel is also recommended by Health Canada and in severe cases – ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Aloe is literally an ancient solution to sunburn as the Greek physician Dioscorides sung its praises for treatment as early as the first century A.D.!
Then there’s the scary checklist of symptoms that requires you to go to emergency: facial swelling, blisters, painful eyes, rapid pulse or breathing, headache/ confusion and a feeling of dizziness. In cases such as these, sunburn might also be accompanied by heat stroke.
Take extra precautions with children since Health Canada notes that while skin cancer usually appears in adulthood, it “can be caused by excessive sun exposure and sunburns in childhood.”
Another factor to think about is medication: many drugs, including some antibiotics like tetracycline, can cause a “phototoxic” reaction, rendering your skin more vulnerable to ultraviolet rays and skin damage. Check out this drug list to see if any of your medications react in this way – some are even ‘over the counter’ drugs.
Or leapfrog over the whole burn problem altogether by applying a layer of sunscreen. An easy solution to a complex problem!
