slather on olive oil... the more 'natural' the better... it will ease the pain and prevent blisters, get you over it in no time... and yes, aloe is good, but the oil is easier to get/use and does the job... it saved me from serious consequences of a full day in the hot, aegean summer sun, on shadeless delos...
Prayer never helped me much with sunburns. Maybe I picked the wrong God? LOL! Sorry, Cog...this one was simply irrestistable. Emily, be sure to hydrate that skin from time to time as well. For example, take a gentle shower and pat dry...put on the aloe vera or olive oil while your shin still holds good moisture.
Oh, I feel your pain! Putting aloe vera in the fridge and then applying it feels heavenly I've been doing that since Saturday!
I find that anything "heavy" will make the burn hurt more. Anything that won't let the skin breathe will make it hurt more too. I like to thin the aloe in a spray bottle with water and then mist my skin. It's very soothing. I've also been told that wet tea bags will help take out the sting of the burn. I think I remember my mom doing this to me when I was 10 and came home from a vacation with my Gma. I had a very intense burn on my back and couldn't lay on it for about a week. Hope you get some relief soon!
Yea...i figured out that fabrics hurt sunburn. So i have adopted a tank top and shorts. And that shower idea worked great. Can you overdose on aloe vera? lol
olive oil while your shin still holds good moisture. Salty, it's really funny you misspelled skin here...my shins are both sunburnt. This is what i get for sitting in the same position in the sun for an hour while reading.
I had very sever sun and wind burn when I was pregnant with my son. I was told to avoid anything oily, and to keep applying moisturiser to the affected areas. Aloe vera works rather well, it is absorbed into the skin, and so, adds moisture back into the skin. Really all you need it to drink plenty of water, nothing else, your body is dehydrated as you have been cooking yourself. And use anything on your skin that is going to add moisture back into the skin. DO NOT USE VINEGAR to take off the sting, that is actually really bad for your skin. I agree with maia about olive oil, they even use that on pre-term babies to give moisture back into their skin, so it won't hurt you to try that at all. There are some after sun creams you can buy that also help to prevent further burning, I suggest you may like to get a hold of one of them. Spray cool water on affected areas, damp flannels, pat yourself with them. If you get swelling, due to the burning, go see your doctor. Keep the areas clean as possible incase of blistering, if you get blisters, don't pop them, they could get infected, if the skin peels, use more moisturiser as it means your skin is rather dry. If you moisturise properly at this time, the skin shouldn't peel. I had severe burns on my legs and they were swollen and I couldn't walk for two weeks, I didn't peel, but blistered badly. I used moisturisers, aloe vera, olive oil (after swelling went down), and plenty of cool water and the like, my legs didn't peel. Drink at least 2 liters of water though, you have been baked, your body needs as much fluids as you can take in at the moment. Next time...wear appropriate clothing and protective creams. It is better than getting skin cancer.
One problem with oils is that they don't evaporate. Burned skin runs hotter than healthy skin, and needs to get rid of some of that extra heat. Oils reduce evaporative cooling. Aloe vera has a healing and moisturizing effect without this drawback. However, once the skin has begun to heal, the staying power of oil, such as olive oil, may help keep the healing skin moisturized by retaining moisture, and thereby reduce peeling.
whoa...i never knew skin burns could be so complicated. Thanks Torana. I will def get started on that water thing. And some of the burns are beginning to heal which is good.
If you're the kind of person who can take a bit more pain, then take a pulsing shower that's a wee bit cold. It'll sting at first, but then you adjust/it numbs enough that you don't feel as much pain, and it causes the peeling to come faster. Is there anything to make peeling a little less unbearable?
I had severe wind burn and sun burn on my legs, and my eyes got burnt as well. I almost lost my son I was that bad. I was badly dehydrated as well. Should have been hospitalised and put on a drip. But at least I know what to do when someone is badly dehydrated and sun burnt now. Experience teaches us a lot. I rarely get burnt now and make sure my kids never do. Sun burn and wind burn is one thing to deal with, skin cancer is another. Glad the burns are healing.
