What if you got sunburned? If a person is sunburned, what to do? Consequences and complications of sunburn

Sunbathing on the beach during the warm season is our women's favorite way to get an even tan.

Yes, of course, solariums are trying their best to fill this niche, but in the summer they are quickly forgotten, since the sun is not only natural, but also free, and, even more importantly, a means of tanning.

However, in attempts to achieve the perfect tan, incidents very often occur, which can be explained either by the desire to tan as much as possible, or by ordinary inattention or by a sudden onset of sleep during hours of peak solar activity.

As a result, tanning turns into a burden due to its abundance and pain.

What to do if your skin is sunburned? First of all, remember the rules that will allow you to avoid such problems in the future. You should not sunbathe during maximum solar activity. This time is from noon to four o'clock in the afternoon.

It is then that the sun is most harmful and least beneficial. It is better to sunbathe in the morning or in the evening, when the activity of the heavenly body declines sharply.

If you have no other choice but to sunbathe during the day, then we can recommend taking periodic “breaks” and going into the shade for a period of fifteen to twenty minutes.

This will not only protect your head from sunstroke - which sometimes even hats can’t save you from - but will also allow your skin to rest.

If you want to lie down to sunbathe immediately after swimming, you need to make sure that no droplets of moisture remain on the skin. After all, they will act as a magnifying glass, concentrating the sun's rays on your skin and promoting sunburn.

Only by using a towel can you expect to spend some time in a calm state of mind and not feel your skin burning in the sun.

But if you did not know all these rules, or learned about them too late, then you need to take the following measures to eliminate the consequences of sunstroke or skin burning:

1. If your body temperature has risen significantly after getting sunstroke, then need to take aspirin. If you also feel nausea, then you should consult a doctor, since you are dealing with a serious blow that needs to be eliminated with the help of a specialist.

2. If there is no heat stroke, but the skin is very hot, then it is important to immediately cleanse your pores to take further medications. To do this, it is recommended to take slightly warm or cool shower, but without using soap or other cosmetics that can irritate your sunburned skin.

3. Regarding medications, it has gained popularity drug "Panthenol", which can eliminate the consequences of not only sunburn, but also ordinary wounds and abrasions. So, having smeared yourself with it, you can stop worrying - after all, your skin will soon be “like new.”

4. Fermented milk products cope well with the effects of sun exposure on the skin. In particular, kefir or sourdough will perfectly relieve the inflammatory process and allow you to properly adjust the epithelium for further rapid healing.

5. It is imperative to take into account the fact that the fat content in fermented milk products used to rub burnt skin should be minimal, if possible zero!

6. It is popular to rub on burnt skin. a mixture of egg yolk, vegetable oil and sour cream in a ratio of 1 to 1 to 2.

7. It will perfectly relieve itching and redness on sunburned skin. grated cucumber or prepared in the same way fresh potatoes. These vegetables are excellent at combating the effects of sunburn and also have nutritional properties.

8. A well-known way to heal your skin from the “bewitching” effects of the sun is juice aloe vera, which helps to quickly eliminate all symptoms and return to normal life.

9. You can also soak a towel or piece of gauze in the cold and strong tea. Then rub your skin with it - this way you can recover from painful sensations in the shortest possible time.

10. You will probably laugh, but it just works wonderfully in this regard and vodka! Yes, yes, ordinary banal, one might even say, vodka, which, despite the presence of alcohol in its composition, promotes a speedy recovery of your skin. Only you don’t need to drink it, but moisten problem areas of the skin with it.

11. A generally accepted remedy for combating burns is drinking large amounts of fluid. This is good for skin regeneration and soothes sun-damaged areas.

12. You should also temporarily avoid any fried or fatty foods in your diet, as they will only slow down the treatment process.

13. Most women probably have cereal in their kitchen. So, you can easily use them to eliminate sunburn. At least the preparation of the product is not too labor-intensive - for this you will need a hundred gram glass of boiling water and four tablespoons oatmeal.

Having mixed all this and prepared it in the standard way, you must then rub the resulting mixture onto the problematic burnt areas of the skin. After twenty minutes, rinse with cold water.

On the eve of the beach season, I can only wish you to sunbathe very carefully and achieve an even and beautiful tan without side effects!

Lately there has been only talk about . All of them are not unfounded - the sun is indeed more and more aggressive, and many studies have proven that when there is a lot of it, it is more bad than good for our skin.

How does our skin react to the sun?

With the arrival of late spring and especially summer, we can all notice some change in the color of our skin. Even if you do not tan intentionally and actively, you still cannot avoid slight “browning” of exposed areas of the body. Under the influence of solar ultraviolet radiation, tanning occurs, melanin is produced in the body, and in small quantities this is very useful.

Ultraviolet rays (contained in solar radiation, as well as those emitted by solariums) are electromagnetic waves, the effect of which on human skin triggers a kind of protective reaction. The pigment melanin begins to be produced in the skin, its concentration will subsequently provide a more or less dark skin tone.

Normal tanning is when melanin in the skin is produced gradually, and this requires only moderate exposure to ultraviolet radiation to the skin. If you sunbathe in the shade and not during peak hours, if you treat your skin beforehand, and the duration of such an event will be several hours, and not a full day of daylight (as is often the case with desperate holidaymakers), this will be a safe moderate tan. Otherwise, the body will experience stress - not only will the skin be injured, but also the state of the nervous and cardiovascular systems will be affected.

Symptoms of sunburn

At first glance, it may seem that getting a sunburn is not easy. But on the other hand, during the hours of solar activity (in summer this is from 10 am to 16 pm), not everyone is able to stay indoors. And if you're going on vacation, you'll take a bottle of sunscreen and a bucket hat with you, but will you be safe? Very often, in the most unexpected way, protruding parts of our body burn (feet, nose, or the entire face - it is difficult to hide it under clothes). Being at the dacha, for example, you can completely forget about using protective cosmetics, but the sun never sleeps. And towards evening you notice a slight pinking and tingling of the skin - you need to act now. If you burnt on the beach, then the symptoms will most likely be even more pronounced.

So, to know, one must first imagine the symptoms of this condition. manifests itself:

• redness and inflammation of the skin - most often this is the face, shoulders, torso, but also any other areas of the body that are in open contact with the sun's rays;
• the skin hurts, stings and burns - with a severe sunburn, the victim cannot bear to touch the damaged skin;
• gradually the pain turns into itching or is combined with it;
• blisters appear and a thin film peels off the skin - this can happen either a few days later or within a few hours after sunbathing; the blisters may contain liquid; sunburn is rare, but may not be manifested by peeling of the skin;
• general weakness and headache;
• in severe cases, nausea and vomiting, chills, but this largely indicates not so much a sunburn as a.

Discomfort over time can be caused by recent sunburn, even with minor repeated sun exposure.

Several stages of sunburn deserve special attention:

• initial - after 2-6 hours from the onset of the burn, the skin turns red and irritation develops; if you leave the sunny area at this stage and take measures to neutralize the condition, the peak of the injury will occur at 12-24 hours, but will subsequently disappear without a trace;
• medium - if you ignore the primary symptoms and stay in the sun, you risk developing blisters, the body becomes dehydrated, and the skin becomes inflamed and even infected;
• severe - blisters on the skin are large and mostly filled with liquid, they burst easily; a thorough approach to treatment will be required (preferably with the participation of a specialist), but the skin can still return to its original state; much more dangerous at this stage are chills, fever, nausea and vomiting, indicating sunstroke; in any case, at this stage it is especially important for a person to leave open and sun-exposed areas.

What to do if you get sunburned

If you or a loved one has suffered initial or intermediate stage burns, help can be provided at home. Treatment of severe sunburn, especially in combination with sunstroke, is best left to a professional physician. Severe sunburn is a reason for hospitalization. Under the constant supervision of doctors, the patient will recover. It is advisable to prescribe oral steroid therapy for a period of several days. At the stage of blistering, steroids are abandoned because the risk of infection of the body increases.

So, what is the strategy if the burn is not too serious? ?

• As soon as you realize that you have been burned, leave the sunny area, go into the shade, or better yet, go indoors.
• The next step is to cool the affected areas of the skin. A cold compress is suitable if these are small areas of skin, or a bath at room temperature (not cold!) if the whole body is burned. The duration of such cooling should be 15-20 minutes.
• Repeat the compress and/or bath several times a day. This will at least ease the discomfort of sunburn.
• To neutralize the discomfort from a burn, take an aspirin or ibuprofen tablet - these are antipyretic and anti-inflammatory drugs, the best prevention of fever and infection of the affected skin.
• Cooling compresses should be replaced by a skin-restoring lotion. Natural products usually contain aloe extract, and among pharmaceutical ones, preference can be given to those containing panthenol. At this stage, our task is to promote regenerative processes in the epidermis.

When it's clear what to do if you get sunburned, one more question remains - what cannot be done. There is also a list of recommendations here:

• under no circumstances should you be exposed to the open sun again;
• Under no circumstances should you perform procedures that exfoliate the top layer of skin, use scrubs, or peel;
• Anesthetic lotions are not recommended for use; they can cause irritation or an allergic reaction to the skin;
• Salts, oils and bath fragrances are not recommended for use, as they can also cause irritation;
• It is also not wise to rub the skin with a washcloth and shave the affected areas of the skin - do not risk injuring the already damaged skin;
• do not use hard towels to dry your body, do not make sudden wiping movements, but only blot the skin.

Home remedies for sunburn

What to do if you get sunburned? The simplest thing that home medicine offers is cooling baths and compresses. But, as they say, not by water alone. The following components will help cool, moisturize, soothe and relieve pain after a sunburn:

• baking soda - a glass of soda per bath of water or 4 tbsp. soda in a bowl of water for compresses;
• oatmeal - wrap ½ cup of oatmeal in gauze or just a sock and place it in a bath or bowl of water; Under no circumstances should the flakes be used as an exfoliant;
• apple cider vinegar - 2 cups of apple cider vinegar per bath of water or a mixture of equal amounts of vinegar and water for compresses; perfectly restores the acid-base balance of the skin;
• aloe vera - you can use a store-bought gel with a plant extract, or you can simply break off a few aloe leaves, wrap them in a damp cloth and place them on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator overnight; in the morning, cut the leaves lengthwise and squeeze out the resulting gel; it cools, soothes the skin and regenerates its damaged layer;
• fermented milk product - kefir or sour cream, natural yogurt for burns have been known to us since childhood; use fresh, pre-chilled products, apply an even thin layer to the skin, rinse with gentle movements after 15-20 minutes;
• milk - as an alternative to fermented milk products, the main thing is the milk protein content, this is what helps; An excellent remedy consists of equal amounts of milk and cold water, used for regular compresses;
• essential oils - lavender, chamomile or eucalyptus, they are added to a soothing bath (10 drops per bath of water), or even better, prepare a spray from one glass of cold water and 3-5 drops of oil, spray the affected areas of the skin with the spray.

Pharmaceuticals for sunburn

Although folk remedies for treating sunburn have proven their effectiveness for centuries, today you can purchase medications that are specially designed to meet the needs of a sunburned body. Among their pronounced actions are analgesic, moisturizing, softening, regenerating, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic. You can take an antipyretic tablet internally.

• ointments containing hydrocortisone - this is a hormone involved in protein and carbohydrate metabolism; ointments based on it will relieve swelling, inflammation, itching, the victim will quickly get rid of painful and uncomfortable sensations;
• ointments containing lidocaine are a cooling and analgesic substance; an excellent remedy to soothe skin irritation, restore disturbed water balance, and directly relieve burns;
• ointments and sprays containing panthenol are perhaps the most popular and most effective remedy for sunburn; it is a water-soluble vitamin, a component of coenzyme A; ensures cell regeneration, and this will gradually relieve pain, redness, and prevent inflammation/infection; Skin treated as soon as possible after a burn will not flake or peel afterwards.

Sunburn of the skin is blistering or redness caused by ultraviolet rays, which cause damage to all layers of the skin. More often, under the influence of the sun, the epidermis suffers, damage occurs with the formation of swelling, severe pain, redness and peeling.

People with fair skin types suffer especially, but no one is immune from sunburn. What to do if you get sunburned? First aid depends on the symptoms of the burn and the depth of tissue damage.

Symptoms of sunburn

Exposed parts of the body - the face and nose - are more likely to get sunburned. In a swimsuit and open clothes, the shoulders, back or other uncovered part of the body suffers.

Legs are less likely to burn, but burns in this area cause symptoms of severe pain, swelling and are difficult to treat.

The first symptoms of a sunburn appear within 30 minutes, and peak after 8-10 hours.

The clinical picture is known, it is as follows:

1. Focal or diffuse redness;
2. Local swelling;
3. Pain with every movement and touching the burned area;
4. The burn site is hot;
5. The temperature rises, both local and general;
6. The skin is dry and blisters appear.

Damage to the epidermis and deeper layers of the skin is accompanied by the formation of toxins. Clinically, this is manifested by symptoms of endogenous intoxication: headache, fever, nausea.

Young children quickly develop dehydration and shock. Symptoms of sunburn may be accompanied by signs of exacerbation of chronic diseases, as well as allergic urticaria.

The extent of medical care for a burn depends on the degree of tissue damage.

At first degree(redness of the skin) treatment is carried out at home, body temperature remains normal.

Second degree(formation of fluid-filled bubbles of various sizes) requires special treatment. The condition is accompanied by fever and symptoms of intoxication.

Facial burns, skin burning in pregnant women and the appearance of blisters filled with bloody fluid require mandatory consultation with a doctor.

Medical care for a sunburned face: how to relieve redness?

Excessive exposure to sunlight causes the formation of age spots, photodermatosis, and in severe cases leads to scars. When the first signs of burning appear, you need to cool the damaged skin with cool water.

You can apply a mask of kefir, sour cream or whey. Do not allow it to dry out so as not to further damage the skin. The mask needs to be moistened periodically and an additional layer applied on top.

It is prohibited to use alcohol lotions to wipe your face after a burn; they dry out the skin and lead to additional damage to epidermal cells.

Do not apply greasy cream or Vaseline to the skin; this will lead to heat retention and thermal damage to the deep layers of the skin.

What to do if your nose is burned?

The nose is always exposed to direct sunlight. Sunscreen, a hat with a visor, or a long-brimmed hat will help prevent it from burning.

If your nose is still burnt, grated cucumber will help tidy it up. Apply fresh pulp for 15-20 minutes.

A good effect when the nose is burned is provided by aloe juice, which is used to lubricate the burnt area until the redness and symptoms of the burn disappear.

You can also use all the remedies for burns and scalding given below.

Sunburn without fever

Local burns to the back can be treated with home remedies; they occur without increasing body temperature. If you experience symptoms of sunburn, cool your skin with cool water and apply an after-sun moisturizer or burn spray. You can use sour cream or kefir.

Do not overdry the skin (lubricate with alcohol), or apply greasy cream.

What to do if, after sunburn, the temperature rises and nausea appears?

Extensive burns, as well as local burns with deep damage to the skin, occur with symptoms of intoxication and signs of heat stroke. Possible drop in blood pressure and fainting, nausea, vomiting.

A patient with such symptoms of burning should be placed in a cool place, protected from sunlight. If possible, measure blood pressure and temperature.

Treatment regimen for skin burns with a temperature above 37.5 degrees:

• Moisten and cool damaged areas;
• Lubricate the burn area with a medicinal aerosol;
• Take painkillers (ibuprofen, paracetamol);
• Antihistamines (suprastin, loratadine, claritin) will relieve swelling, redness and itching of the skin.

To detoxify and prevent dehydration, the amount of fluid you drink should be at least 3 l/day.

The resulting blisters should not be punctured to avoid infection.

Sunburn, which is accompanied by symptoms of heat stroke, is subject to specialized medical care.

Treatment of sunburn with folk remedies

If after burning the temperature does not rise and the burn is limited, then you can use home treatment methods. In folk medicine, simple and combined recipes for sunburn remedies are used:

1. Grate the potatoes and apply the pulp to the burn site. After 20 minutes, rinse with cool water.
2. Cold compresses made from green tea, aloe juice, and sauerkraut masks will relieve swelling and relieve pain.
3. Freeze the cottage cheese and apply to the affected area for 5-10 minutes.
4. A cooled oatmeal mask is applied to the face. You need to keep it for 15-20 minutes.
5. Lavender cream: mix 50 ml of body milk with lavender essential oil (20 drops), add a teaspoon of chamomile decoction.

Home remedies for burns should be applied 4-6 times/day to the sunburned skin of the face, back and other areas. Home remedies are used as the main ones for mild burns.

For extensive burns, severe intoxication, increased body temperature, use pharmaceutical ointments and aerosols.

Burnt in a T-shirt

Medicines must have analgesic, regenerative and anti-inflammatory effects. The following pharmaceuticals that are used to treat sunburn have these properties:

Ointments and gels with hydrocortisone– relieve itching, tissue swelling and redness. They have a fast, effective action.

Pain relieving ointments based on lidocaine.

Aerosols and sprays containing panthenol– the most popular remedy with analgesic and wound healing effects. Vitamin E and coenzyme A have a regenerating effect, soften the skin and eliminate inflammation.

Burning, even mildly, causes pigmentation and aging of the skin. Nevi can become malignant when exposed to sunlight.

Therefore, protect your skin from direct ultraviolet rays, use sunscreen and sun hats. And if a sunburn has already happened, help yourself and your loved ones correctly.

Surely most summer lovers adore a beautiful and even tan. However, in the rush to get it, precautions are often forgotten, as a result of which the skin gets unpleasant and sometimes dangerous burns instead of a bronze tint. In this article you will learn about interesting facts from scientific research, signs of burns and methods of preventing them. We will also give useful recommendations in case your skin is already burned.

Interesting Facts

Moderate sun exposure promotes the production vitamin D, preventing the formation of cancer cells and promoting the improvement of bone tissue. Skin burns can occur from intense and prolonged sun exposure, when aggressive rays damage ribonucleic acid (RNA).

Scientists believe that sunburn is an inflammatory and protective reaction in response to exposure to short-wave ultraviolet B rays, aimed at removing damaged skin cells. Representatives of science also claim that the removal of damaged cells occurs before they could turn into dangerous cancer cells. It should be borne in mind that this is not a guaranteed process, since the longer the exposure to rays, the lower the likelihood of early removal of potentially dangerous cells.

It is now known that excessive sun exposure reduces the ability to conceive in women, and in men can cause short-term infertility(for a few days).

The sun in general negatively affects the condition of the skin, provoking the rapid evaporation of moisture from the cells of not only its upper, but also deep layers, disrupting the lipid balance of the epidermis. As a result, skin elasticity decreases, which provokes the appearance of wrinkles.

Signs of sunburn and consequences for the body

Signs of sunburn depend on the degree of exposure to UV rays. If they did not manage to do much harm, then the skin turns red, hurts when touched and becomes hot. May also be observed peeling and itching.

More severe cases of burns are characterized by crust or blisters. Such external manifestations are often complemented fever, chills, headaches and a feeling of weakness.

It should be noted that sunburn does not appear immediately. That is why it is often difficult to prevent its development. First symptoms of a burn can make themselves felt after a few hours, and the maximum time for their manifestation is up to 24 hours.

Mild stage burns most often pass without significant harm to the body. However, in severe cases, they can cause ulcers and erosions, which are not so easy to cure. In addition, sun rays increase skin pigmentation and provoke the formation of raised moles, which can transform into dangerous melanomas.

How to protect yourself from the aggressive sun?

The most effective method of preventing burns is Avoid exposure to sunlight from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. At this time, the sun exhibits unsafe activity. But if the sea beach “calls” or circumstances force you to go outside, you should wear summer hat and use sunscreen.

It is best to choose a cream with protection level of at least 30 SPF (SPF – sun protection factor);

Cream Apply a thin layer without intensive rubbing on exposed skin;

Even if the cream is waterproof, it should be reapply on the beach, since its properties weaken half an hour after contact with river or sea water;

Creams containing zinc oxide, which has anti-inflammatory properties;

In addition to protective agents in the form of creams, there are lotions and sprays. Therefore, you can always choose the consistency to your liking.

First aid for sunburn

First of all, it is necessary protect yourself from the sun, assess your well-being and skin condition. If the temperature rises and/or there is pain, you can take medications containing ibuprofen or paracetamol. If crusts or blisters are detected, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Very important: under no circumstances You can’t pick off the crust and pierce the blisters, since there is a high risk of causing bleeding and infection.

If the burn is not severe, then you can help yourself. In addition to painkillers, it is recommended to use antiallergic drugs, After all, a sunburn is also an allergic skin reaction.

Having ensured that the burn is counteracted from the inside with the help of tablets, you also need to take care of the external relief of symptoms. To do this, apply to burnt skin anti-burn agents, purchased at a pharmacy (for example, Panthenol), put lotions from chilled decoctions such as string, calendula or chamomile. The method of application is as follows: gauze, folded in several layers, is soaked in a cool herbal solution and applied to the burn for 15 - 20 minutes. This manipulation should be repeated throughout the day with breaks of 3 hours. In the intervals between lotions, apply a cream containing calendula to the inflamed skin.

If it is not possible to prepare herbal infusions, you can refrigerate green tea, soak a small towel in it and make a compress.

Since dehydration is common during a sunburn, it is recommended drink as many liquids as possible. The best way to replenish your water balance is with regular drinking water, cool compotes, fruit drinks and mint refreshing drinks.

Having overcome a sunburn, you need to remember that after it the skin will be vulnerable to the sun for several months, so it must be protected especially carefully during this period.

With all the visual beauty of tanning, one should never forget about the risks and dangers that the sun's rays pose. But if you follow our recommendations and don’t go to great lengths, you can be on the same page with the sun and spend time on the beach without harm to your skin and health.

After a long, long winter and a fleeting spring, everyone is looking forward to real summer, with its warm sunny days. Everyone is trying to get out on vacation as quickly as possible - to get their portion of the gentle rays of the sun. But in pursuit of beautiful bronze skin, many forget about safety, and in just a few hours of being outdoors they burn.

Most often, fair-haired and light-skinned people get burned; they need to be extremely careful about the time they spend in open sunlight, and as soon as they feel a slight tingling sensation, they should immediately take emergency measures.

If your face is very tanned

The face area suffers more than other parts of the body from excessive sun exposure - the nose, cheeks and forehead are redder. After all, it is impossible to cover them with any clothing; they always remain open, accessible to the sun’s rays. Lips often suffer, they crack and then begin to peel.

All this is very unpleasant, and even in many cases painful, what emergency measures should be taken:

In the video, what to do if you get very tanned in the sun:

Tips: While your skin is irritated and there are signs of a burn, try to spend less time in open sunlight - go under the shade of trees, wear a hat with a wide brim, and it’s better to stay at home until everything passes.

Watch for peak sun activity - it lasts from about 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and is the most dangerous time to be outside without sun protection. Before you leave the house, use effective sunscreen, and the whiter your skin, the higher the protection rating should be.

Which is the best is detailed in the contents of this article.

If your body is badly burned

This is also quite unpleasant - you can’t lie on your back, clothes cause pain, bending your arms and legs hurts. If you feel tingling on your skin, this is a sure sign of severe tanning.

What to do as soon as possible:

In the video, what to do if your back is very tanned:

If you don’t have anything like this in your home medicine cabinet, then you can help yourself with simple homemade products; these recipes have been used for centuries, and they will still help today: and how to do it correctly, the information from the article will help you figure it out.

How to use is detailed here in the article.

Tips: try to add various juices, compotes, fruit infusions to your diet - this way you will replenish the supply of moisture consumed at elevated air temperatures. Even if you notice watery blisters, under no circumstances pierce them yourself, and if it breaks open on its own, you should immediately treat it with any antibacterial agent, for example, syntomycin liniment.

Well, if you feel bad, you constantly feel nauseous, or your head is very tired, call a doctor immediately, sunstroke is not something to joke about!