I don’t know about you but once summer hits, I seem to find all of the perfect moments to get a sunburn. Living in Colorado (hello sunshine) and being super fair skinned I have always had to battle sunburn pain. Yes, I try to keep sunscreen on at all times but it never fails that I miss a spot or forget the sunscreen at home.
How To Relieve Sunburn Pain
Overexposure to the sun causes tiny blood vessels in the dermis to dilate. Within a few hours, blood serum from these dilated vessels seeps into skin tissues and distends the surface. Blisters erupt from severe sunburn, and, eventually, the top layer of skin peels off.
Besides the temporary discomfort, repeated sunburns can instigate an assortment of skin problems. The skin may become leathery, the underlying tissue loses its elasticity, and wrinkles form. Tiny red spots from burst capillaries may appear on fair skins; spider or splotchy veins may worsen from being expanded by the heat, and existing freckles and little brown blotches become more obvious. And let’s not forget about the obvious….skin cancer.
Tips For Sunburn Pain Relief
Many swear by a hot shower to extinguish sunburn fire, turn the red into a tan, and prevent blistering, but most of us prefer gently cooling as the first step. The force of water from a shower can be painful; soaking your sizzling body for 15 minutes in a tub of cool water eases the burning and replaces some of the moisture in your dehydrated skin. While you lie there soaking and vowing never again to overexpose, placing moist tea bags or thin slices of raw potato or cucumber over your sun puffed eyelids helps reduce their swelling.
Sunburn Remedies For Soaking in the Tub
Adding one of these naturally soothing and healing substances to the bath will make the total relief more immediate, and more long-lasting:
- Swish 2 cups of apple cider vinegar, or 2 cups of fluid milk, or 2/3 cup of instant nonfat dry milk in the bathwater.
- To further pamper the mistreated skin, add a tablespoon of almond oil. Place 2 cups of cornstarch in the tub; mix with the water while the tub fills.
- Place 1 cup of oatmeal in some cheesecloth or old stocking. Let this soak in the tub during the bath, then squeeze it to drizzle the oatmeal juices over the damaged skin.
- Place 2 ounces of dried rosemary in 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover and let this sit for 30 minutes. Strain, then pour into the filling tub.
Sunburn Remedies to Apply to the Skin
If a tub bath is not feasible, try cooling the sun abused skin with any of these liquids – sprayed, splashed, or smoothed on:
- Alcohol – add 1 tablespoon rubbing alcohol to 2 cups cold water.
- Almond milk – in an electric blender, whir 1 cup water with ¼ cup almond meal. Strain before applying.
- Alum – dissolve 1 teaspoon alum in 2 cups of water.
- Apple cider vinegar – splash on the sunburned skin and repeat every 20 minutes.
- Baking soda – dissolve 2 tablespoons in 1-quart cold water.
- Milk – saturate cloths with cold milk and apply to the burned areas.
Most of these remedies are considered old home remedies that your grandmother probably used,but these remedies do work.
After soothing the sunburned skin, it will need to be protected from the air. The oxygen in the air coming in contact with the skin is what produces the burning sensations. Cover the skin with any of these: aloe vera gel, baking soda or cornstarch mixed with milk to form a paste, plain yogurt, egg yolk, honey, or mayonnaise. Keeping the skin covered will relieve the burn and help the healing process.
