Best ways to treat sunburns and sunbed burns

Best ways to treat sunburns and sunbed burns

Raise your hand if you never spent too much time lying out in the sun or if you never went over the top with the length of the sunbed session. Yes, the truth is that sunburns or sunbed burns happen to all of us and we all need to know how to treat them. With our short guide of failproof remedies to sunburns you will never go wrong.

 

Let us start by explaining what a sunburn is. Basically speaking it is the result of your skin getting too much exposure to ultraviolet rays. This triggers a defensive immune response in which the body destroys damaged skin cells in a process known as programmed cell death. The body repairs damaged DNA to enable the new cells replace the old ones after the layers of dead tissue peel away. Itching, blistering, swelling and pain is what we experience as the symptoms of a burn. If the damage is more severe, chills, fever and nausea may occur.

 

Obviously prevention is better than cure. However, the measures we need to take in order to avoid the sunburns and sunbed burns are different. Here are some of the crucial tips to follow.

 

How to avoid sunburns:

• Apply sunscreen (SPF adjusted to your needs and skin type): https://www.onyxtan.eu/products/la-playa-spf-15?variant=22399065227346
• Wear protective clothing, including a hat and sunglasses
• Re-apply sunscreen every two hours or after toweling, swimming or perspiration
• Don’t lay out in the sun for hours, spend your time actively when being outdoors
• Avoid going out in the sun when the UV index is the highest (between 11 am and 3 pm)

How to avoid sunbed burns:

• Choose shorter sunbed sessions over the longer ones
• Never force your tan – let it develop gradually
• Always ask a salon professional for directions on choosing the right tanning equipment
• Use only professional sunbed creams
• Keep your body and skin hydrated

 

When the prevention measures are not enough and you get your ‘lobster look’ anyway, these tips come in handy as a quick relief home remedies.

 

1. Cold shower

A cold, but not freezing cold, shower is probably the first thing you think of to relief the pain. Cold water lowers the body temperature, reduces pain and soothes the skin.

 

2. Keep your body hydrated

It’s extremely significant what our skin gets from within. Water helps us reduce body temperature when we perspire. On hot summer days avoid drinking coffee, tea and alcohol. Instead, take a gulp of water or vegetable juice.

 

3. Dairy products on the alert

A well-known aid used by our grandmas and great-grandmas… Vitamins A, D, E and B, as well as minerals, calcium and proteins make dairy products a valuable natural treatment for burns. If you have a cup of yoghurt or buttermilk in the fridge, apply it directly to your skin.

 

4. Feel like Cleopatra

Go one step further and soak yourself in a milky bath. Add lavender flowers to enhance the purifying and soothing dimension of that treatment.

 

5. Strawberry fruits forever

Save some strawberries on your plate to give your skin an extra boost of hydration. Some strawberry pulp applied to the irritated skin helps reduce itching and swelling, meanwhile aiding in evening the skin tone. Sheer pleasure!

 

6. Aloe very much

Probably the most well-known green remedy to all skin troubles, including sunburns. Apply the aloe juice on your skin directly from the leaves or make aloe-ice cubes to for an extra soothing and refreshment.

 

7. Honey, Honey

Whether you suffer from a sunbed burn or a sunburn, honey comes to your aid. Its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties accelerate the healing process.

 

8. Vitamin C

When you need sun and a Vitamin See, Vitamin C may come in useful afterwards. Its regenerative properties help bring your skin back to its best.

 

9. Cucumber

Apply the slices of cucumber to your skin to reduce irritations, replenish the moisture and experience an amazing feeling of refreshment when your skin feels too hot. Cucumber makes a nice pair with aloe and they both work best when chilled.

 

10. Use an after-tan lotion

Never underestimate the power of an after-tan lotion. Body Tender is a multitasking product, excellent after sunbed sessions, sunbathing or as a daily care body balm. Carefully selected emollients combined with allantoin and vitamin E help keep skin properly nourished and hydrated, while panthenol helps sooth irritations: https://www.onyxtan.eu/products/body-tender-after-tanning?variant=22046205280338. 

And finally a short list of things you should never do when you suffer from a sunburn:

1. Don’t keep on tanning.
2. Don’t take extremely cold baths.
3. Wear clothes to protect the sunburnt areas of your body.
4. Avoid applying perfumes directly to your skin and avoid using any harsh or skin-drying products.

If you have any other proven methods of fighting the sunburns or sunbed burns off, let us know in the comments below.