Easy Ways to Treat a Sunburn

If you have ever spent a day at the beach, you aren't a stranger to sunburn. If it is bad enough, it can even blister your skin. You'll find easy home remedies here to treat it, but remember nothing will take away the damage the sun has caused. The burn will go away, but permanent damage to your skin has already occurred.

Often, you'll be in the sun and a sunburn won't show for several hours. You won't even be aware that you need to get out of the sun or get some sunscreen on.

Sunburn can cause freckling, wrinkles and skin cancer. The sunburn will get better, but you may pay for it in later years. You won't know the entire effect for 12 to 24 hours, because the burn will get worse for awhile.

Next time, use a sun screen with a SPF30. Health 911 suggest that you should use a sunscreen with aloe. They claim it will cut out 90% of the sun rays that cause burning and still allow 75% of the rays that create a tan to come through.

It is possible to get sun poisoning. If you have any of these symptoms, you should see a physician.

Symptoms of Sun Poisoning

• Fever
• Severe blistering or redness
• Chills
• Pain and tingling
• Headache
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Extreme thirstiness and little or no urination (signs of dehydration)

Here is a list of remedies that are easy to try.

One of the most effective ways to help a sunburn is by using Aloe Vera. I experimented with this one summer by applying it on one leg and not the other. The difference between the two legs was amazing. The leg that I used aloe vera on healed much faster.

If you have the plant, just open one of the leaves and use the juice. It can be purchased cheaply in a bottle at most drug or discount stores if you don't have access to the plant.

Apply it to the burned area. Not only will it be soothing, but healing. Do this several times a day to keep the area covered.

This method is said to help prevent blisters and later peeling. Use a spray bottle and spray the vinegar on your skin. If you don't have a spray bottle, using a cloth and dampening it will help too. Either cider vinegar or white vinegar will work fine.

Or you can soak in a bath with 2 cups of vinegar for 15 minutes.

If you use a cloth with cool water, it can lessen the feeling of a burn. A cool bath helps too, but don't scrub with a washcloth as it could injure skin. Just lightly pat the skin with your towel afterwards to prevent making the sunburn hurt worse.

For some relief from the burning sensation, try a cool bath with a few tablespoons of baking soda. Use cool, not cold or hot water. This will help soothe the burn. Don't stay in too long as it will dry your skin. Keep it to just 15 minutes. Don't towel dry the sunburned area or it will hurt. Instead, just let the skin dry.

The cucumber slices will help cool the heated area. Cucumber juice will cool you off and help hydrate your body.

It is important to keep the body hydrated. If you've been in the sun long enough to get the burn, you need fluids.

A sunburn can be drying to the skin. The olive oil will help moisturize the area.

It is good to keep the skin moist, because it will be dried out from the burn. A tip from the site Health: How Stuff Works site is to put the moisturizer in the fridge to make it cool and then it will soothe the burn at the same time.

The Mayo Clinic recommends aspirin or ibuprofen to help relieve pain. Ibuprofen includes Advil, Motrin and others. Follow the directions on the box. Mayo also includes that your should never give children or teenagers apirins due to the risk of Reye's Syndrome.

Mix three tablespoons of ground oatmeal with a half of cup of yogurt. Rub it all over the sunburned area and leave on for a few hours. Then clean off. This will only work on exposed areas like the neck and face for obvious reasons, but it will give your some relief.

Next time you are going to stay in the sun for long periods, don't forget the sunblock. A tan is nice, but not from a nasty burn.