We’ve all suffered the after-effects of a fun day at the beach, at the park or out and about. It doesn’t take long today for the sun to leave it’s mark. And it’s usually only as the sun sets that you first realize that you’re totally burnt.
Sunburn is a kind of burning of the tissues of the skin caused by the overexposure to the radiation of ultraviolet rays of the sun. Reddish skin is one of the main symptoms of sunburn among humans as well as animals but severe sunburn can also add a mild dizziness and a general fatigue, along with that typical hot feeling. In extreme cases, excessive exposure to the radiation of UV rays can be life threatening also.
The warning of course is that excessive exposure to UV radiation can also cause non-malignant tumor of the skin and even various types of skin cancers. Mostly people prefer natural treatments for sunburn to avoid chemical reactions of the formula medications.
Prevention of sunburn
Sunburn and other problems caused by overexposure of the skin to UV radiation can be prevented by applying good quality sunscreen on the exposed skin and wearing proper clothing while going out, especially in hot scorching sun during summer. You can also prevent sunburn on your skin naturally by tanning your skin in moderate sun rays as the melanin produced within the skin protects it naturally from overexposure to UV radiation.
But what can you do if you’ve misjudged your exposure for the day slightly and have suffered for it?
Natural sunburn treatment
Though various over-the-counter painkillers and anti-inflammatory medications are available in medical stores to treat the implications of sunburn but still people prefer to treat their sunburn naturally as formula medications can sometimes worsen the skin condition.
Some of the natural treatments in this regard may include:
Aloe Vera: The power glyconutrients present in Aloe Vera help greatly in repairing and improving healing of the skin damages caused by its overexposure to UV radiation. The gel of matured leaves of Aloe Vera plant is used for this purpose. It can be applied as a topical ointment on the affected skin to improve its condition. Aloe Vera is an absolute favorite of many a sunburnt person and so many testify to it’s quick use at the end of a day.
Potatoes: The starch-based compound found in potatoes helps in soothing the effect of sunburn. You can rub or pat down the slices of uncooked potato or apply poultice of grated raw potato on the spot of sunburn to sooth it.
Vinegar: Vinegar can help in reducing the itching, inflammation and pain on the skin due to sunburn due to the acetic acid found in it. You can soak your sun-burnt skin with the water including cider vinegar while taking bath to get quick and effective results as it works like aspirin naturally.
Honey: It has been proved through various studies that honey soothes sunburn much better than any other antibiotic ointment as it speeds up healing of the affected skin by minimizing pain and infections.
Green tea: The tannic and catechin acids found in green tea help in soothing the pain of sunburn. You can use tea bags of green tea soaked in water as a cold compress on the spot of sunburn or wash the affected skin gently with the cold extract of green tea to get effective results very soon.
So there are a few natural treatments that people turn to after getting sunburnt.
Feel free to leave a comment about what you find effective when you’re burnt to a crisp.
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