If sunburn is very severe and distressing, take the patient
to a doctor who may prescribe a cream to give relief.
See a doctor also if the patient has a headache, nausea or a
high temperature because he may be suffering from heat stroke as well as
sunburn.
If the sunburn is out of all proportion to the time the skin
was exposed to the sun, the patient may be suffering from a condition called
photo sensitivity, which can be brought on by some medicines.The patient should see his doctor, who may
prescribe an alternative medicine
Treating mild sunburn
The symptoms of sunburn can range from skin that turns pink
and feels rather hot to skin that becomes red, swollen, blistered and extremely
painful.
Reasonably mild sunburn can be treated at home without
seeing a doctor.
Keep
the skin cool with calamine lotion or cold compresses.Make the compress by soaking a towel or
other cloth in cold water and squeezing out the excess.Or put ice cubes in a plastic bag, know
the opening of the bag and crush the ice with a hammer or brick. Wrap the
bag in a a cloth before putting it on the skin
Antihistamine
creams are rarely worth using; they have little effect.
Leave
blistered skin exposed to the air
Take
aspirin or paracetamol to relieve the pain
Avoid
clothes that rub the sore area.
Do not
allow further exposure to the sun until the symptoms have disappeared.
How to avoid sunburn
Sunburn is caused by the ultraviolet rays of the sun.Fair-skinned people, who have little pigment
in the skin burn more easily than people with dark skin.
To
prevent sunburn, avoid, overexposure to the sun on the first day of a
holiday, particularly if you are fair skinned.Expose the skin for only 30 minutes the
first day, increasing by 30 minutes each day until you have developed a
suntan which will give protection.
Remember
that light cloud does not stop the sun’s rays from burning.
Use a
suntan lotion or cream for protection.Most of them wash off easily, so put more on after swimming.Even if you do not swim they need to be
renewed every 2 hours.Filter type
sun-screens may contain substances that cause skin reactions, so follow
the instructions on the container.
Keep
small children covered with a shirt for most of the time during the first
days of a holiday.Increase their
exposure gradually.
Remember
that you can be burn even while feeling cool in the water.
Do not
expect artificial skin-tanning creams to give protection.
