How To Treat A Sunburn

The sun is out, and ooooh do us pale girls love it. However it does not love us back, and we burn. So many people burn, but did you know the best way to treat it? I know a few tricks that I want to share with you.


my leg after a weekend at the lake last summer


First how to know you've burned, it's pretty obvious, but did you know that with it can come signs of heat or sun stroke? Your skin will usually turn red 2-6 hours after the burn has done it's damage. If it starts to blister instantly though, and you feel light headed, dizzy or nauseous you need to seek medical attention, as you may have sun stroke.

If it's just a simple burn first you want to remove the heat. The best way is with a cool, not ice cold you don't want to freeze the skin, compress. Milk absorbs heat well so a mix of 1/2 water 1/2 milk in a cloth works well. Apply it to the burned area for about 10 mins, leave it off for about 10 mins and repeat. You don't want to get the top layers of your skin too cold so you want to alternate the compress. This allows any heat deeper in the skin to come to the surface.

Once your skin is no longer hot to the touch apply an aloe vera based cream or gel to the skin (want to see what else aloe vera is good for?). You must wait until the skin is cool before doing this, or else you're just trapping the heat in your skin, and essentially slow roasting your skin from the inside.

Keep hydrated!! Your skin takes up a lot of water, and when it's burned it needs that moisture back. Cream alone will not rehydrate your skin, so be sure to drink up!!

Of course the best way to treat sunburns is to not get them in first place (wow nice cliche Erika...).
-Remember to cover up, wear long sleeves when possible. Try a light cotton wrap or cardigan, they breathe and aren't too warm.
-Use a broad spectrum waterproof sunblock. Waterproof is best even when you're not planning to go in the water. This will hold up while you sweat. Yeah we all sweat, get over it. Don't forget your face. I use a foundation with SPF 25 (Skin79 BB Cream) and I use a sunscreen ment for the face under it if I'm going to spend time in direct sunlight, say a day at the beach or out biking.
-Wear a hat and those oh so stylish big sunglasses. The bigger the sunglasses (with a UV protection of course) the more of your skin gets covered up. So go all Paris Hilton and rock those gawdy shades!
-Keep hydrated, for the same reasons to hydrate after. If all the water in your skin has evaporated then it's more likely to burn.

You may feel like a goof at 14 to wear all that junk while your girlfriends are prancing around in their bikini tops. But when you're 35 with no wrinkles and they're wasting time and money getting botox you'll be happy.