Sunburn is a visible reaction of the skin’s exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, the invisible rays that are part of sunlight. Ultraviolet rays can also cause invisible damage to the skin. Excessive and/or multiple sunburns cause premature aging of the skin and lead to skin cancer. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the US, and exposure to the sun is the leading cause of skin cancer.
What are the symptoms of a sunburn?
The following are the most common symptoms of a sunburn. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:
-
redness
-
swelling of the skin
-
pain
-
blisters
-
fever
-
chills
-
weakness
-
dry, itching, and peeling skin days after the burn
Severe sunburns may cause a person to go into shock, which is characterized by fainting, low blood pressure, and severe weakness. Immediate medical attention is necessary if this occurs. The symptoms of a sunburn may resemble other skin conditions. Always consult your physician for a diagnosis.
Treatment for sunburns:
Sunburns usually heal themselves in a couple of weeks. However, depending on the severity and location of the sunburn, the following may be recommended. Always consult your physician for more information.
-
To alleviate pain and heat (skin is warm to the touch) caused by the sunburn, take a cool (not cold) bath, or gently apply cool, wet compresses to the skin.
-
Take a pain reliever such as aspirin (children and teenagers should never be given aspirin because of the danger of Reye syndrome), acetaminophen, or ibuprofen.
-
To rehydrate (add moisture to) the skin and help reduce swelling, apply topical moisturizing cream, aloe, or 1 percent hydrocortisone cream.
-
Stay in the shade until the sunburn is healed. Additional sun exposure will only increase the severity and pain of the sunburn.
If the sunburn is severe and blisters occur, consult your physician right away.
Here’s a real good one. I used a product that I got in Hawaii. It is called… get this… Maui Aui. It has Aloe, Caledula for the skin and white willow for the pain and st. john’s wort for the itch. It’s great through the hurting,itching pealing phases and I think it made me heal faster. It sure made things feel better. It wasn’t very expensive, $8 or $9 if I remember correctly and it was WELL worth it. There was no phone number on it but the company name says Nature’s Rite. This stuff is like Natural Solarcaine. with aloe and skin regenerator. It’s really cool.
Sunburn can be fatal and skin damaging can develop to skin cancer.. over exposure to the sun is not good as always. . It’s better to walk outside with skin protections so the risk developing skin related diseases will be lessen. Redness, swelling of the skin, pain, blisters, fever, chills, weakness, dry, itching, and peeling skin days after the burn; these symptoms are very unlikable and it gives a hard time.