After the winter cold, people are looking forward to summer to go to the seaside and soak up the lacquered sun, get an attractive even tan that emphasizes the beauty of the body. But very often the long-awaited rest and excellent pastime are overshadowed by getting a sunburn, and in this regard, everyone needs to know what to do if they are heavily tanned in the sun.
Before talking about first aid for sunburn and the subsequent treatment of this uncomfortable condition, you should consider the signs that indicate that a person is really sunburned. So, the first symptoms of sunburn, which include pain, redness, swelling of the skin, the formation of blisters on them, make themselves felt after several hours after contact with direct sunlight. Since in most cases, sunburn affects large areas of the skin, it is not uncommon for a person to experience weakness, malaise, headaches and body temperature rises.
If sunburn occurs, what should be done in this case, what should be the first aid to the victim to relieve the unpleasant symptoms of this condition? First of all, you need to immediately hide from the sun's rays in a cool room, if this is not possible, then you can hide under a canopy or in the shade of trees. If a person does not feel well at the same time, he has a severe headache, nausea and dizziness are observed, indicating heat stroke, it is recommended to call an ambulance team. If the general well-being is not affected, it is necessary to take a number of measures that can help the body and skin to overcome the damaging effects of sunlight. For this purpose, a gauze bandage, previously soaked in cold water, should be applied to the affected skin areas and changed after 10-15 minutes. If the affected area is significant, you can wrap the victim in a wet sheet, and if the conditions are right, it would be good to provide the person with a cool shower. Such rescue measures have a double effect at once - they help to reduce burning sensation, pain sensations and moisturize the skin, preventing the subsequent destruction of its layers. Along with this, to prevent dehydration of the body, it is necessary to provide the victim with plenty of drink, which can be ordinary water, tea, fruit drink.
If the skin is burnt due to exposure to sunlight, it is strictly forbidden to carry out the following measures:
Lubricate the affected skin with ice. After such a procedure, a person will feel significant relief, but they will have to pay a high price for it: the death of the epithelium and a long recovery period;
Wash damaged skin with alkaline soap, which destroys its protective layer;
Rub the skin with a washcloth, apply scrubs to it. The fact is that any maceration greatly enhances the inflammatory response;
Apply to the skin products containing alcohol, as this component can cause additional dehydration;
Treat the affected areas with petroleum jelly, which clogs the pores and makes it difficult for the skin to breathe;
To pierce the blisters that form as a result of burning of the skin;
Throughout the entire period of treatment, it is in direct sunlight;
Drink alcoholic beverages, strong coffee or tea.
When he is badly burnt in the sun, what to do in this case is offered by folk methods, how to alleviate the condition of the victim with the help of improvised means and methods? Fermented milk products such as cottage cheese, sour cream and yogurt (applied in a thin layer on the skin) have proven themselves well in the treatment of sunburns, relieving burning sensation, cooling inflamed areas and reducing redness due to the formation of a protein film on the surface of the skin.
A compress from a strong brew will relieve unpleasant pain symptoms, for the preparation of which it is necessary to brew 4 tea bags in a glass of boiling water, cool the resulting product, moisten it abundantly with gauze, which should be applied to the affected areas (the procedure should be carried out 3-4 times a day).
Potato juice is considered to be a magical effect in the fight against skin burning.
Among other folk remedies, such as are very popular:
Raw egg white. Lubricate the affected skin and do not rinse until the product is completely dry, until the victim feels a sensation of tightening of the skin surface. Further, the area of the burn must be wiped with a napkin or gauze folded in several layers, previously moistened with water.
Aloe. An important condition for this medicinal recipe is to use a houseplant older than three years. Cut off about 10 sheets from aloe, wash them, pass through a meat grinder to obtain a mushy mass, into which pour 2-3 tablespoons of milk. With a ready-made medicinal composition, treat the burned areas of the skin and do not wash off the product for 30-40 minutes.
Olive oil. Enriched with a whole range of different vitamins, this product will help to activate the recovery processes of damaged skin and help to form a protective film that prevents moisture from evaporating from the skin.
Pumpkin. Pass the pulp of the pumpkin through a meat grinder, apply the resulting gruel to the affected areas of the skin and cover the compress with gauze on top, otherwise, under the influence of oxygen, the pulp of the vegetable will dry out and lose its healing properties.
Many people, experiencing severe pain from sunburn and not wanting to self-medicate, come to the doctor with the question “I got burned, what should I do?”. A specialist will recommend the use of the following drugs to improve the patient's condition:
Panthenol is a wound-healing drug produced in the form of an ointment, cream and gel. It is used for any degree of sunburn, while in the early stages of skin burning, it is recommended to use a gel, in the later stages - an ointment. The medication moisturizes the skin, protects it and activates the processes of regeneration of damaged tissues.
Methyluracil, which is a paraffin-based ointment. Its use is relevant at the healing stage. The product stimulates the regenerative processes of the skin.
Fastin is an ointment made on a fat basis, a combined drug containing syntomycin, anestezin and furacilin.
The rescuer is an ointment, the components of which are sea buckthorn oil, beeswax and plant extracts, form a protective film on the burnt surface, have a wound healing, softening, analgesic and protective effect.
Kremgen is a cream that contains an antibiotic and a hormonal substance, it is recommended for use in sunburns with swelling of the skin.
In order to avoid burning the skin and all the unpleasant symptoms associated with this condition, you must:
Before going outside in sunny weather, apply sunscreen to exposed skin;
After swimming in a pond, be sure to wipe your body with a towel, as moisture attracts the rays of the sun;
Plan a trip to the beach either in the afternoon or in the evening, since from 12 to 16 hours maximum solar activity is observed and a short exposure to the sun may be enough to get burned.
Thus, easy-to-use folk recipes and effective medicines will help eliminate the symptoms of sunburn, relieve pain and restore good health to a person. By following the sunburn prevention tips, you can minimize the likelihood of skin burning and fully enjoy the long-awaited summer vacation.