Taking Care of Your Sunburned Skin

You no doubt know how important it is to protect your skin and the importance of wearing sunscreen, covering your skin, and staying out of the sun as much as possible, especially when it is at its harshest – but sometimes, despite our best efforts, we end up with a sunburn. Here are some tips for caring for your painful, delicate, sunburned skin!

Pamper your damaged skin

There is no quick and easy way to get rid of a sunburn, but you can relieve the pain. To treat a sunburn

• Take a cool bath or cover yourself with a towel dampened with cold water – keeping your skin cool can help.

• Use a moisturizing cream or aloe vera, which can also help to cool the skin. Keep using moisturizers even when your skin begins to peel. Just make sure you don’t use products with alcohol, as this can dry out the skin even more.

• If the pain is really bad, an over-the-counter medication, such as ibuprofen or aspirin, might help.

• If a young child has a sunburn, you should talk to their doctor for advice – children shouldn’t take aspirin, and they should also avoid some skin creams, such as benzocaine.

• If you have blisters, don’t break them! This can invite infection and slow the healing process. You can cover them with gauze if you need to, but make sure you don’t wrap it too tight.

• See your doctor if you have severe pain because of your sunburn, if you have high fever, if a large part of your body is covered with the burn and blisters, or if the sunburn doesn’t start to get better within a few days.

If you have had 5 or more bad sunburns, your risk for melanoma is doubled – that’s why it is so important to take care of your skin, check it often for abnormalities, and see your doctor as soon as you can if you see something that looks suspicious. Have fun this summer, and contact Advanced Laser and Skin Cancer Center in Teaneck, New Jersey, if you need help taking care of your skin. Call 201-836-9696 today!