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Bright red skin, fever and sleepless nights – that’s a natural result of ignoring the rules of staying in the sun.
What if the sun burned? Lets talk about sunburn.
What is sunburn?
Burns which the person receives in the sun exactly the same which you can get by accidentally touching the iron or spray yourself with boiling water. From conventional thermal burns they differ only in that they are caused by UV radiation.
According to traditional classification, the most common sunburns are first degree. They are characterized by redness and soreness of the skin.
A prolonged exposure to solar radiation leads to burns of the second degree – with the formation of blisters filled with fluid. Very rarely sunlight can cause more severe burns.
The consequences of excessive tanning is not only peeling skin, and less visible, but more damaging. Sun burns cause DNA damage in skin cells that leads to cancer, mostly basal cell and squamous cell type.
Even a few sunburns before the age of 20 years increases the risk of melanoma – a deadly form of skin cancer. In addition, an excess of the sun causes early formation of wrinkles, premature skin aging, the appearance of age spots and even the development of cataracts.
People with light skin can receive a sunburn in just 15-30 minutes of sun exposure without proper protection. The first symptoms of sunburn appear, usually two to six hours after the lesion.
The symptoms of sunburn
- Flushed, hot to the touch skin
- Pain in “burnt” places, little swelling
- Fever
- Easy fever
First aid for sunburn
1. Immediately hide into the shadows. Red skin is not a sign of first degree burn. Further sun exposure will only increase the burn.
2. Look closely at the burn. If you are experiencing severe pain, you have a fever, and the area where blisters formed is more than one of your hands or abdomen, consult a doctor. Without treatment, a sunburn is fraught with complications.
3. Attention! To reduce inflammation and reduce pain, there are special tools that are sold in pharmacies. In any case it is impossible to smear the affected area with oil, lard, urine, alcohol, Cologne and ointments that are not intended for the treatment of burns. The use of such “drugs” can lead to deterioration and infection of the skin.
4. Carefully treat sunburn in the area of the face and neck. They can cause swelling and shortness of breath. Be prepared to address urgently to the doctor if there is swelling of child.
5. If minor burns, take a cool shower or bath to soothe the pain.
6. Regularly moisturize “burned” skin with special tools designed for this.
7. While sunburn healing, wear loose clothing with long sleeves and trousers made of natural cotton or silk. Coarse cloth or synthetic materials will irritate the skin, causing pain and redness.
8. Do not take chances. While the symptoms of sunburn do not pass completely, and peeling of the skin do not stop, do not go out in the sun, even using sunscreen. The recovery could take from four to seven days.
How to prevent sunburn?
– Apply sunscreen 20-30 minutes before exposure to the sun. This will allow the cream or spray to penetrate and to start acting.
– Don’t go out in the sun during the period of its greatest activity from 10:00 to 16:00 hours.
– Update sunscreen at least every two hours and every time after swimming.
– Wear a hat and don’t forget to protect your neck from the sun, the skin in the area of the chin and ears.
The most important
Sunburn – the same thermal skin trauma like a burn from a hot object.
Severe burns, accompanied by pain and fever, require treatment of the doctor. But light sunburn require time for healing and the use of special funds for treatment.
More about severe sunburn treatment watch in the video below:
