The sun is shining brightly and warmly outsideAlmost everyone enjoys exposing their skin to the sun. Some people prefer to sunbathe in the country, some in the village with their grandmother, and some try to get closer to the sea. However, wherever you prefer to spend summer days, do not forget about the rules of safe tanning. Otherwise, you risk getting sunburn. Many people do not take sunburn seriously and do not begin treatment. And such an attitude often results in quite serious complications for human health. Help with sunburn is extremely important for maintaining the health of the victim. This is what will be discussed in this article. The very first thing you need to know in order to avoid sunburn is what factor causes it. Many people believe that burns appear due to the intense heat that we feel on our skin. However, this is not true at all - sunburns, unlike thermal burns, do not occur as a result of exposure to high temperatures on the skin, but as a result of exposure to ultraviolet rays. That is why there are quite often cases of sunburn among skiers who spend a long time under the rays of the winter sun. Each of us has probably encountered another confirmation at least once - this is the appearance of sunburn after a long stay on the beach in cloudy weather, when the sun is not visible. The fact is that clouds do not allow the sun's rays to reach the ground, but they are not an obstacle for ultraviolet rays. And what can we say about those cases when women come to the sea on vacation? Of course, every woman simply dreams of returning from vacation, having become the owner of a luxurious bronze tan, which will cause admiration and envy of all her friends. And women try to spend the maximum amount of time on the beach, making a fatal mistake. With such a line of behavior, instead of the expected bronze tan, you will very quickly notice reddening of the skin and painful sensations when touched, you can feel heat or chills, since the most important function of the skin, which ensures full and correct heat exchange, is disrupted. If you notice such manifestations, immediately exclude any exposure of the skin to sunlight and begin treatment. In no case ignore the symptoms of burns and do not continue to sunbathe, as this will significantly worsen the condition of the skin. Begin treatment of sunburn immediately, without delay, because this is not a harmless scratch. Sunburn can prematurely age the skin, causing the appearance of fine wrinkles, provoke the development of a chronic allergy to the effects of sunlight in a person. In especially severe cases, frequently recurring sunburns can even trigger the mechanism of skin cancer.
Treatment of sunburn
Today, mankind knowsa huge number of the most diverse ways to treat burns, both traditional methods and folk medicine recipes. Moreover, folk remedies for sunburn often help no less effectively than a medicine for sunburn purchased at a pharmacy.
General recommendations for sunburn
So, you or your loved ones have sunburn.This condition causes serious discomfort to the victim. First aid should be provided immediately. That is why everyone should know what to do with a sunburn. If you are bothered by pain, a cold shower will help relieve it for a while. The duration of relief largely depends on how severe the burn was. In some cases, the pain may disappear for hours, and in others, alas, only for minutes. Pay attention to the temperature of the water - it should be cool, but in no case icy. Otherwise, you risk getting a cold or, even worse, pneumonia in addition to the sunburn. For people who have received a sunburn, there is a kind of "rule of three NOTs":
Most suitable for sunburnuse cosmetics containing aloe extract. Such cosmetics will not only cool your skin, but will also significantly help relieve the inflammatory reaction. Aloe itself has a very strong anti-inflammatory property. If you are faced with the occurrence of sunburn, pay special attention to your drinking regime. The body is currently in a weakened state and, as a result, very quickly loses moisture. It is precisely to maintain a normal water-alkaline balance in the body that you need to drink a very large amount of liquid. In such cases, the ideal drinks will be:
- Green chilled tea, preferably not in sachets.
- Ordinary weakly alkaline mineral water.
- Any juice with the addition of drinking water at the rate of 1 part water and three parts juice.
- Pomegranate juice. It is worth discussing it in some detail. Pomegranate juice is a powerful antioxidant, effectively combating free radicals, which are released when getting a sunburn. In addition, pomegranate juice also has a strong anti-inflammatory effect on the burn sites. Thus, if you drink a lot of pomegranate juice, you will be able to cope with the effects of sunburn a little faster. However, it should be borne in mind that pomegranate juice has a negative effect on tooth enamel, so dentists recommend drinking pomegranate juice through a tube and rinse your mouth after eating it. Also, pomegranate juice is contraindicated for people suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
It is also very important to eat right duringtreatment of sunburn. Try to include fresh vegetables and fruits in your diet. They contain a huge amount of vitamin C and vitamin E, without which the healing and regeneration of the skin is simply impossible. In the same case, if for some reason you do not want or cannot eat fresh vegetables and fruits, you need to take chemically synthesized vitamins C and E. They can be purchased at almost any pharmacy. There you can also buy any pharmacological drug made on the basis of the active substance ibuprofen. Taking ibuprofen will not only relieve the inflammatory reaction on the skin and normalize the body temperature of a sick person, but also significantly reduce the intensity of painful sensations. Pay attention to your clothes. In no case should you wear those models of clothing that fit tightly to the skin - this can injure the skin affected by sunburn. The most optimal will be loose clothing made either of very thin and soft cotton or silk. In no case should you wear clothes made of rough or synthetic materials - this will only increase the already existing skin irritation. In the event that the skin peels as a result of a skin burn, you should immediately begin to moisturize it. This can be done in several ways. However, if you do not accept the use of traditional medicine, various moisturizing body lotions, of which there are a great many on the market, will help you. Apply them to the damaged skin at least 6 times a day, and in general - the more often, the better. In no case should you try to remove the "flakes" of peeling skin yourself. The harder you pick at it, the more intensely it will continue to peel. You just need to wait patiently - the peeling will go away on its own. The only thing you can do, provided that you do not feel pain, is to use a body scrub, preferably enriched with vitamin A. In the event that the sunburn is extensive, has penetrated deep into the skin, and the victim complains of nausea, dizziness and high body temperature, he must immediately seek medical help. In complex cases, only a doctor can adequately assess the patient's condition and prescribe appropriate treatment.
Popular ways to treat sunburn
As mentioned above, there are severalvery effective ways to treat sunburn using folk remedies. If you have a sunburn, first aid is essential. Below are the main folk recipes:
- Compresses from milk and fermented milk products.
The most commonly used treatments for sunburn are:sour cream and kefir. Dairy products will not only relieve inflammation and soothe pain - the milk proteins they contain create an invisible protective film that prevents moisture from evaporating. This almost completely eliminates the possibility of dehydration of the skin and, as a result, the process of restoration and healing of the skin occurs much faster. To achieve a therapeutic effect, kefir or sour cream should be applied to the skin every one and a half to two hours, without rubbing it into the skin, but simply spreading it evenly over its surface. For such therapeutic compresses, it is advisable to use kefir or sour cream of the highest fat content.
- Raw potatoes.
Another favorite means of salvation fromconsequences of sunburn is an ordinary potato. To do this, you need to thoroughly wash several potato tubers under running water (depending on the area of the skin lesion), peel them and grate them on a fine grater. After this, the resulting gruel must be evenly distributed over the damaged skin areas and left for 15 - 20 minutes, then take a shower and dry off without using a towel.
- Raw egg white.
A simple chicken egg will help eliminatepainful sensations of sunburn in a matter of minutes. To do this, you will need several chicken eggs - their number depends on the area of the affected skin. Break the eggs, carefully separating the yolks from the whites. After that, lightly beat the whites with a whisk or mixer and very carefully distribute them over the affected skin. Leave the white until it begins to dry. As soon as you begin to feel a feeling of tightening of the skin, take a shower and wash off the egg white. After the skin has dried slightly, apply a moisturizer to it.
- Kasha from the leaves of aloe.
To prepare the following remedysunburn, you will need aloe tree leaves and fresh milk. Mince 10 aloe tree leaves, add a little milk to the gruel and mix thoroughly. The resulting gruel should be applied to the sunburned areas three times a day. After applying the gruel, leave it on the skin for about half an hour, then rinse thoroughly with running water and treat the skin with a moisturizer or lotion. If you feel a burning sensation or other discomfort shortly after applying the gruel to the skin, stop the procedure immediately and do not repeat it. The course of treatment cannot be stopped immediately as soon as the pain disappears. Continue treatment until the skin is completely healed.
- Decoction of chamomile.
A decoction of ordinary chamomile is veryeffectively relieves skin inflammation and accelerates the healing process of the skin. Chamomile decoction is prepared extremely simply. Dry chamomile inflorescences must be poured with water at the rate of one tablespoon of raw material per liter of water. Bring the decoction to a boil, then simmer for about five minutes. Let the decoction brew for about an hour, then strain it with gauze. Chamomile decoction should be used for lotions, which should be done every three hours.
- Cubes of milk ice.
Another good way to treatsunburn, is to use milk ice cubes. They are very easy to prepare. Drop eucalyptus oil into milk at a rate of 5 drops per 100 ml. of milk, pour the milk into ice molds and place in the freezer. After the milk freezes, use the cubes to wipe the affected areas of the skin. Such a measure will not only additionally moisturize the skin, but also cool it, relieve pain.
- Ointment from honey and aloe.
The following sunburn ointment will helpsignificantly speed up the healing process of even the most severe damage to the skin. To prepare it, you need to pour boiling water over several leaves of tree aloe, then peel them and mince them. The resulting gruel should be mixed in equal proportions with any natural honey, put in the refrigerator for about half an hour, and then evenly applied to the areas of skin damaged by ultraviolet rays. Leave the ointment on the skin for about an hour, then rinse under running water, dry the skin with a towel and let it dry completely naturally. After that, apply any moisturizing balm for sunburn to clean, dry skin.
- Mask of sour cream and lemon oil.
In case you have sunburn on your facetreatment with the following folk medicine will very quickly bring you significant relief. This mask is not difficult to prepare. To prepare it, you need to buy lemon oil at the pharmacy. Add 10 drops of lemon oil to 100 grams of sour cream, mix thoroughly - your moisturizing mask is almost ready. Apply it to the sunburned skin of the face, leave for about 15 minutes, then wash off with plain water.
- Mask of fresh cucumber.
If you have a sunburn on your nose, you can effectivelyAn ordinary slice of fresh cucumber will help. It should be applied to the nose every half hour for at least 10 minutes. Do not forget to cut off a fresh slice of cucumber each time. The main methods of how to cure sunburn with folk remedies are described above. However, do not forget that before trying to use any of the listed remedies, you must be absolutely sure that the victim is not allergic to any of the components of the recipe. Also remember that folk remedies for sunburn cannot be used to treat children.
Prevention of sunburn
Of course, it is much more effective to prevent itoccurrence of sunburn. To do this, it is necessary to exclude the effect of dangerous sun rays on the skin. To do this, follow a few simple rules:
- Try to limit your stay to the extent possibleon the street, especially under the sun, from about 11 am to 3 pm. If you are not sure whether it is safe to be on the street at the moment, you can take advantage of a little folk cunning: look at your shadow - in case the shadow is less than your height, the sun is still dangerous.
- If you avoid appearing on the street at this timeit is impossible, before going out, it is necessary to take a number of protective measures: wear closed clothing, a hat. In addition, do not interfere with dark sunglasses.
- If you have pale skin, try not to be exposed to sunlight - use umbrellas or sunbathe in the shade, no matter how strange it may sound.
- Remember that water tanning occurs much faster - remember this, while on the beach.
Sun protection means
Nowadays, in the cosmetic departments of stores andYou can find a large number of different UV protection products in pharmacies. When buying such a product, pay attention to the manufacturer, giving preference to well-known manufacturers. Remember that all sunscreens are divided into groups according to the level of protection from exposure to ultraviolet rays. Each person needs different protection from sunburn:
- For people who have light skin and red hair, sunscreen products with a protection index of 30 are intended.
- For people who have naturally pale skin, protective means are designed with a protection index of 20.
- For people who have a swarthy skin tone, there is enough money with a protection index of 15.
In order for protective equipment to be fully effectiveperform their function, it is necessary to follow certain rules for their use. Sunscreen should be applied to dry skin about an hour before the expected exit to the sun. Despite the fact that many companies - manufacturers claim that their products are not afraid of water, try to reapply the product to the skin after each immersion in water. Only in this case will the sunburn cream work well and truly protect the skin from the negative effects of ultraviolet rays. There are a certain number of people who are strictly contraindicated to be in the sun, because it can result in significant health complications. For them, the consequences of sunburn can be extremely negative:
- People who have significant areas of skin are devoid of pigmentation. Such skin areas are almost instantly covered with severe sunburn.
- In the same case, if you have birthmarks,pigmentation on which is much more pronounced than in other parts of the skin, when they are in the sun they darken even more, becoming very pronounced.
- People who suffer from various kinds of dermatitis and psoriasis - being in the sun will greatly aggravate the situation.
In addition, it is necessary to remember that the receptionSome pharmacological drugs, in particular antibiotics, sedatives and diuretics, significantly reduce the protective abilities of the skin and increase the risk of sunburn.
Sunburn Eye
If we are talking about harmful effectsultraviolet rays, it is impossible not to mention such a phenomenon as sunburn of the eyes. This complication in medicine is called electrophthalmia. Such a burn occurs as a result of prolonged exposure of the retina to ultraviolet rays. This can happen if you look at the sun for a long time, which often occurs in children, as well as if you ski for a long time, or just stand on the snow in the open air in sunny weather. After about 4 - 5 hours, a person begins to experience acute pain, severe lacrimation and swelling of the eye slit begin. The conjunctiva of the eye is also significantly hyperemic and swollen, the blood vessels around the iris are dilated, and the cornea becomes slightly dull. If such cases occur, in no case should you try to alleviate the condition of the affected person on your own - in this situation, self-medication can lead to completely unpredictable consequences, up to and including complete loss of vision. It is necessary to immediately seek medical help from an ophthalmologist, and if one is not available, from any medical worker who will prescribe the necessary treatment.
Sunburn in children
It is also worth talking separately about solarburns in children. Skin burns in children occur much faster and are more severe. A child can get a fairly severe burn after just 5 minutes in the sun. Sunburns in children very often lead to the development of long-term negative health consequences - much more often than in adults. The most common complications are described below:
- A significant increase in the risk of cataracts in the child, as well as the degeneration of the visual spot, which can lead to a partial or complete loss of vision.
- Children with fair skin, often receiving sunburn, risk in the future to get the risk of skin cancer.
Children's sunburns, in general, are very similar in their symptoms to ultraviolet damage in adults. However, there are some differences:
- If in adults the sunburn manifests itself quickly and in a sharp form, then the child appears absolutely imperceptibly and, often, 10 to 12 hours after exposure to the open sun.
- If the child is small, he can begin to be capricious for no apparent reason, or, on the contrary, become drowsy and sluggish.
- The skin becomes reddened, and to the touchit becomes very dry and hot. When you touch her, the child complains of painful sensations, the skin can swell. And even blisters can appear in case of a particularly severe burn. The most common sunburn of a child's face.
Particularly severe burns are generally extremely dangerous forchildren's health. Sunburn symptoms may include weakness, significant increase in temperature, nausea and vomiting, chills, dizziness. If you do not react in time and do not seek medical help, a real burn shock may develop, which has the following symptoms:
- The pronounced pallor of the baby's skin.
- Also, the affected child may experience difficulty in the normal breathing process.
- Sometimes a child loses sight, than very oftenfrightens parents and frightens himself. However, there is no need to panic especially - with timely medical care and adequate treatment, vision will very soon return to the baby in full.
- In especially severe cases, a brief loss of consciousness is possible.
First aid for a child with sunburn
If you have failed to protect your child from excessivezealous sun, and sunburn still occurred, you need to provide first aid to the child and take the following actions: Immediately take the child away from the open sun rays and try to cool him down. Be sure to seek medical help yourself or call an ambulance if the child has symptoms such as:
- A sunburn of any degree that occurredthe youngest child of one year. The protective functions of the baby's skin are still imperfect, which is why it is very sensitive to the occurrence of severe burns. A sunburn in a baby is very difficult and it is never possible to predict how the child's body reacts.
- Feeling chills in the baby, fever.
- The onset of headaches.
- The appearance of blisters, indicating that the child has a sunburn of the second degree.
- The onset of edema of the hands or face.
- Burns of the first degree (simple reddening of the skin) affecting the vast surface of the skin.
- Child's complaints about nausea, vomiting and drowsiness.
Until the ambulance arrives, the following measures should be taken to alleviate the child’s condition:
- In order to reduce pain tominimum, you need to constantly wet the affected areas of the baby's skin with cool water, which, evaporating from the surface of the skin, will cool it. Drain a soft terry towel in water and wrap the baby in it for about 10 to 15 minutes. The procedure can be repeated every half hour, but always make sure that the child does not subcool.
- Treat damaged skin with either a means specifically for the treatment of sunburn, or any other means for burns, for example, D-Panthenol.
- Completely strip the baby so that the clothes do not hurt the already affected baby's skin. Also make sure that the bedding on which the baby is lying is soft.
- As often as possible, offer the child a drink, which is now absolutely necessary for him.
- In the event that the baby started vomiting, put it on the right side. This is necessary in order for vomit to not enter the respiratory tract and the child does not suffocate.
The effect of sea water on the skin and hair
If we are talking about a holiday by the sea, we can’t help butmention such a thing as the effect of sea water on human skin and hair. As is known, the composition of sea water and human blood plasma are very similar to each other. This explains the beneficial effect of sea water on the human body. The minerals contained in sea water have a very beneficial effect on the skin and nails. Doctors advise vacationers not to wash off sea water immediately after they get out of the water, but simply blot it with a towel and leave it on the skin for at least two to three hours. In this way, you will get a kind of body mask. Previously, there was a misconception that water, as it dries, increases the effect of sunlight, thereby significantly drying out the skin. In fact, as recent studies have shown, this opinion is fundamentally wrong. But the effect of sea water on hair in combination with the sun and wind can significantly worsen their condition. All of the above factors significantly dry out hair, making it thin, dry and brittle. To prevent this from happening, you need to protect your hair. Be sure to wear a hat and use moisturizing hair masks every day. If you follow all the safety precautions, you will return from your vacation with a stunning tan, rested and full of strength and energy that will last until your next vacation. We recommend reading:
