How To Treat A Sunburn

Sunburns happen when we expose our skin to the sunlight for longer than our bodies have the capability to produce melanin, a chemical that turns the skin color darker.  It’s not the sun itself but the UV rays. Most people do not know that there are almost no UV rays in the first or last hour of sunlight as the sun is going down.

Check out this cool UV ray map from www.sunburnmap.com

How long does it take for a sunburn to heal?

Sunburns can take anywhere from 1-7 days, generally, to heal.

How do you get rid of a sunburn fast?

The best treatments for a sunburn…

• Raw Aloe Vera – Raw aloe vera from a plant will help heal the sunburn very fast, you can find the plants at places like Lowes or Home Depot for the same price as the lotion you might buy in a store
• Aloe Vera Lotion – Works well (while there are other lotions, like coconut oil, not much has proven to beat aloe vera in healing a sunburn)
• Stay Hydrated – Having plenty of water in your system helps you heal faster

Other Interesting Facts About Being Sunburned

• Eating whole healthy foods like fruit and vegetables will help speed up the healing process
• Smoking cigarettes will help make the skin damage even worse than it is
• You can still get sunburned through car windows
• Sunblock blocks the sun completely, so you don’t get tan
• Sunscreen filters UV rays, so you still get tan
• Oxybenzone is a chemical in some sunscreens and sunblocks that is thought to may cause damage to your hormones
• Hawaii’s Legislature passed a bill to ban sunscreens containing the common chemicals oxybenzone and octinoxate, effective Jan 1, 2021. The bill is now awaiting a signature from Gov. David Ige.

The mayo clinic had this to say about when to consult a family doctor for a sunburn…

Consult a doctor for sunburn treatment if:

• The sunburn is severe — with blisters — and covers a large portion of your body
• The sunburn is accompanied by a high fever, headache, severe pain, dehydration, confusion, nausea or chills
• You’ve developed a skin infection, indicated by swelling, pus or red streaks leading from the blister
• Your sunburn doesn’t respond to at-home care