What is Good for Sunburn? How to Treat Sunburns?

by Abbas Jahangir · June 22, 2024

Sunburns mostly occur after long-term and unprotected exposure to the sun and artificial UV sources such as sunlamps. When exposed to UV rays that cause sunburns, dark spots and water-filled spots may appear on the skin surface. Drying or wrinkling of the skin may also occur. In addition to all this, the risk of skin cancer called melanoma also increases. You can prevent sunburns and related symptoms by protecting your skin from direct sunlight. It is very important to protect the skin, especially outdoors. Care should be taken not only in sunny weather, but also on cool or cloudy days.

What are the Risk Factors for Sunburn?

Some of the risk factors for sunburn can be listed as follows:

Having light skin, blue eyes, or red or blonde hair,
Living in a hot area with intense sun or at a high altitude,
working outdoors,
Being in sea, pool, beach and snowy areas that reflect sunlight
Regularly exposing the skin unprotected to sunlight or UV rays emitted from artificial sources such as solariums.

What are the symptoms of sunburn?

Symptoms due to sunburn usually appear a few hours after sun exposure. You can get sunburned on any exposed part of your body, including your earlobes, scalp, or lips. If your clothes have texture that allows ultraviolet (UV) light to pass through, sunburn can occur even indoors. If sunburn is severe, headache, fever, nausea and fatigue may occur, and your eyes, which are extremely sensitive to UV rays, may also burn.

Symptoms such as skin redness, pain or skin swelling may begin 2-4 hours after sun exposure and reach a maximum within 24 hours.

Sunburn degrees, or in other words sunburn levels, are examined in 3 categories:

1st Degree Sunburn: Redness on the skin surface, feeling of pain due to tension and sensitivity are among the symptoms of 1st degree sunburn.

2nd Degree Sunburn: In the event of a 2nd degree sunburn, symptoms such as redness, tightness, pain when touching the surface, as well as water-filled blisters on the skin may be observed.

3rd Degree Sunburn: Severe pain and crusting may occur on the skin. However, the incidence of this type of sunburn is low.

What to Do If You Get Sunburned?

It may take 12 to 24 hours after sun exposure to realize the full extent and severity of sunburn. Likewise, it may take up to a few days for the skin to start healing. Here are some suggestions for sunburn treatment that help relieve the discomfort of sunburn:

Keep Cool:Apply cold compresses, such as a towel moistened with cold water, to the affected skin. Take cold showers frequently.
Keep Moisturized:Apply moisturizing cream to the affected skin area. Avoid products containing alcohol, which can cause further drying of the skin. For an effective treatment, consult a dermatologist and use the medications recommended.
Don’t Play with Bubbles:If bubbles form, don’t pop them. Doing so will only slow down the healing process and increase the risk of infection.
Take a Painkiller:If there is pain, report this to your doctor and take the painkillers recommended by the doctor in the specified dosage.
Treat Peeling Skin Gently:Within a few days, the sunburned area may begin to peel. In its most basic definition, this is your body’s way of getting rid of the top layer of damaged skin. You can continue to use moisturizing cream while your skin is peeling.
Within a few days, the upper layers of the skin may peel off and begin to heal itself. After peeling, the skin may temporarily develop patches of irregular color changes. A severe sunburn can take anywhere from a few days to a week to heal.

If a severe sunburn covers a large part of the body with blisters, if the sunburn is accompanied by a high fever or severe pain, consult a healthcare professional for sunburn treatment.

How Should We Protect Against Sunburn?

To protect from sunburn, sun exposure should be avoided between 10.00 and 16.00. The sun’s rays are very strong during these hours. Therefore, try to do outdoor activities at other times. If you can’t do this, limit the time you spend in the sun. Seek shade whenever possible.

When outside, wear a wide-brimmed hat. Wear clothing that covers you, including your arms and legs. Tightly woven fabrics provide more protection. You may consider using outdoor equipment specifically designed to protect you from sunlight.

You can pay attention to whether the fabrics of the clothes you wear outdoors have ultraviolet protection factor (UPF). You can check product labels to check for the presence of UPF. A higher UPF number indicates that the product is more protective. Apply sunscreen to exposed skin areas about 15 to 30 minutes before going outside. To prevent sunburn after swimming, it is necessary to renew sunscreen every 3 hours. Use water-resistant sunscreen with a protection factor of at least 30 against ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. Do not use sunscreen that is expired or older than three years.

Use sunglasses outdoors. You can find out from your optician whether your glasses have UVA and UVB protection. Before buying new glasses, be sure to check the UV light absorption rating on the glasses label. Additionally, wearing sunglasses that fit your face or have wrap-around frames will help protect your eyes better.

You may be using certain types of medications that make your skin more sensitive to the sun. You can consult your pharmacist or doctor about the side effects of the medications and pills you take.

What is Good for Sunburn in Babies?

It should not be forgotten that babies’ skin is very sensitive to the sun. To prevent sunburn in babies, it may be recommended to keep them cool, moist and away from direct sunlight. Especially newborn babies should not be exposed to direct sunlight. Whenever possible, sun-protective clothing should be worn and time should be spent in shaded areas. If sun protective clothing and shade are not available, you may consider using sunscreen on infants and young children. You can consult your doctor for the types of sunscreen creams suitable for your baby’s skin.