Summer means pool days, weekends at the lake, and, for most of us, the inevitable sunburn. Depending on the person and how long your skin was exposed to the sun, a sunburn can vary in severity. If you end up with a severe burn, here’s an overview of how to treat it.
Severe Sunburn Symptoms
Severe sunburns, also called sun poisoning, cause the following symptoms:
- Pain and tingling
- Swelling
- Redness and blistering
- Headache
- Fever and chills
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Dehydration
Severe Sunburn Treatments
A severe sunburn can be treated by:
- Taking a cool shower or bath: Frequent cool baths or showers can help relieve your pain. Pat yourself dry as soon as you get out of the bath or shower, but make sure to leave some water on your skin and apply moisturizer in order to trap the water—this helps with dryness and irritation. You can also put a cool, damp cloth on the sunburn a few times a day for 10 to 15 minutes. This removes heat from your skin.
- Applying moisturizer: Moisturizer is important for treating a sunburn, especially the right kind. Aloe Vera or soy moisturizers soothe burned skin. However, do NOT use moisturizers that contain: petroleum, benzocaine, or lidocaine. Petroleum traps the heat in your skin, and benzocaine and lidocaine can cause more irritation.
- Taking pain relievers: Over-the-counter medication such as ibuprofen can relieve your pain. Ibuprofen can also reduces redness, discomfort, or swelling that may be present.
- Staying hydrated: You will want to drink a lot of water. A severe sunburn dries you out, so drinking extra fluids will help your skin stay hydrated.
- Leaving blisters alone: Popping skin blisters can do more harm than good. Blisters form to protect your skin, so popping them can increase your risk for infection.
- Being aware of emergency symptoms: Although you may want to try treating your severe sunburn at home, you should be aware of when you need medical attention. If you feel weak, dizzy, nauseous, unusually hot or cold, or are showing signs of dehydration, see a doctor immediately.
Severe Sunburn Prevention
The best form of treatment for a severe sunburn is prevention. Follow these sun safety basics to stop a sunburn before it occurs:
- Wear sunscreen that has an SPF of at least 30. The bottle should have “broad-spectrum” on the label—this means that it protects against the sun’s UVA and UVB rays. You should apply sunscreen all over your body about 15 to 30 minutes before you go outside. Remember to reapply every 2 hours, or after you’ve been in the water or have sweat excessively.
- During the summer and warmer weather you should do your best to limit your exposure to the sun between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The sun’s rays are most damaging and intense during this time of day.
- Wear protective clothing such as a hat and sunglasses to protect your face and eyes from the sun.
