Sunburn

Most sunburns might appear after a few minutes or hours as red patches of skin and they continue to develop for the next several hours. The time it takes for the sunburn to heal usually depends on its severity – a mild sunburn might go away after 24 to 72 hours but a severe case might take longer to heal. Severe burns might also come with other symptoms like severe pain or itchiness.

Existing sunburns might also worsen with more exposure to UV rays. A severe burn with blisters requires urgent care because it might lead to a more serious condition like sun poisoning.

While it’s tempting to stay under the sun to get that perfect tan and much-needed vitamin D for the body, too much exposure to UV rays can cause you to sustain a sunburn. When you stay under the sun or other UV light sources for too long, your skin might start turning red and getting irritated.

The sun usually emits 3 wavelengths of ultraviolet light: UVA rays, UVB rays, and UVC rays. The third kind doesn’t reach the surface of the earth, but the other ones penetrate the skin. They often result in sunburns and alter the DNA on your skin, causing premature skin aging. Too many changes in the DNA increase your risk of actinic keratosis, skin cancers, and melanoma.

Most cases of sunburn can be treated at home using remedies like cool water and cold compress. But a severe sunburn might require immediate medical care for a more effective skin disease control.

You should schedule an appointment with a dermatologist if you notice these symptoms a few days after the skin was burnt:

• Blisters and covers a large portion of your body
• Doesn’t improve within a few days
• Signs of infection like pain, red streaks, and pus around the open blister.

Additionally, you need immediate medical attention if you’re sunburned and experience:

• Extreme pain
• Headache
• High fever
• Chills
• Nausea
• Confusion
• Heat exhaustion

If your skin gets too much UV light exposure without proper sun protection, it’s crucial to treat sunburn as soon as you notice it. The first thing you should do is seek shelter from the sun so that the damage doesn’t get any worse. Although it may seem like a temporary condition, sunburn can cause long-lasting damage to the skin.

Here are a few dermatologist-recommended tips for treating a sunburn on your own:

• Relieve the pain with a cool bath or shower. As soon as you get out of the shower or tub, gently pat yourself dry but leave a little water on your skin. Apply a moisturizer to help trap the water in your skin to help ease the dryness.
• Drink plenty of water. Extra water will help prevent dehydration and sunburns will draw fluid to the skin’s surface and away from the rest of the body.
• Allow your blisters to heal. Blistering skin means that you have a second-degree burn. Don’t pop your blisters because they actually form to help your skin improve and even protect you from infection.
• Take extra care to protect your sunburned skin. Wear sunscreen with at least SPF 30 and cover your skin with protective clothing when you go outside (tightly-woven fabrics work best). If you hold fabric up to bright light and some of the light comes through, then you shouldn’t wear it.

Untreated sunburns have short-term and long-term effects. You will feel burning, blistering, itchiness, and pain in the sunburnt area until it heals. As for the long-term consequences, sun damage may develop into more serious conditions like melanoma, actinic keratosis, and skin cancer.

Higher SPF content means better protection against harmful UV rays, but using a sunscreen that has at least SPF 30 gives you enough protection. Make sure to reapply your sunscreen every few hours when heading out.

If you have severe sunburn on your arms and other parts of the body, schedule a consultation at Dermatology & Skin Health now. Our team specializes in a wide selection of medical treatments for mild to severe sunburns as well as other related skin problems, so you can trust us to provide you with the best solutions to soothe the sunburn and prevent serious complications.