How to Soothe a Sunburn

Particularly those with medium to fair skin, sunburns occur at one time or another. No one intentionally tries to get sunburned, but it sneaks up quickly and can be very painful and damaging to the skin.

Why Do Sunburns Occur?

• Not Wearing Sunscreen: People think when it’s an overcast day, they are not at risk for potential sunburn. False! The burning UVB rays can penetrate through clouds and still put your skin at risk for sunburn. Also, when temperatures are cool, like on a fall day, people think the sun isn’t strong and sunscreen is not necessary. Wrong! The temperature outside is not an indication of how strong or weak the sun rays are…

• Not Re-applying Sunscreen: It wears off, sweats off and washes off so sunscreen must be applied every 2 hours.

• Not Applying Enough Sunscreen: Most people don’t apply their sunscreen generously enough to get full protection. Applying SPF 30 sparingly may only give you SPF of 5 or less. (Read: When it comes to sunscreen, a little dab won’t do ya.)

Okay, so you made one of the above mistakes and now you’re suffering with a red, sore sunburn?

Tips for soothing the skin:

-Drink Cold Water: Since your body loses fluids when your body is overheated, it’s important to drink cold ice water to keep the temperature of the body down and internally hydrate.

-Get Milk: Soak in the tub with lukewarm to cool water with six cups of milk. Again, this is helpful to lower the temperature of the body while soothing the skin.

-Apply a Lightweight Lotion Containing Antioxidants: Many people have heard of applying aloe vera gel, but I prefer applying something with antioxidants. Because sunburn is the ultimate sign of free radical-induced inflammation and skin damage, it may help to lessen the damage that is occurring deep within the skin and encourage repair. Our Vitamin C&E Complex is a no-sting formula so it will feel very comfortable on sensitive, sunburned skin.

-Apply a Cooling Gel Mask: The goal of a sunburn it to decrease pain and remove heat from within the skin, so using a cooling gel-based mask (like Renée Rouleau Azulene Gel Mask) to lower the temperature of the skin can bring soothing relief. Put in the refrigerator an hour before using so it will be even more cooling to the skin.

-If you don’t have a gel mask, apply cold plain yogurt. When applied to skin, it works as an anti-inflammatory to reduce heat and irritation. Apply, let dry for 15 minutes, and rinse. Repeat every hour.

-Don’t Over Moisturize: Many people want to apply lotion hourly in an effort to moisturize and heal the skin, but if you apply too much lotion, the heavy oils in the lotion can create a barrier and trap heat in the skin keeping it red longer. It’s important to let the skin breathe.

-Be Patient and Give Time to Heal: For most mild to moderate sunburns, it takes 3-4 days for redness to subside.

-If Skin Peels, Don’t Pick: As sunburn has already caused enough damage, the worst thing you can do is start to peel off layers of skin—especially those that are not yet ready to come off. You can scar the skin, so just let the skin shed naturally. After a week, you can gently rub the skin on the body with our Exfoliating Body Cloth to help remove some of the flakiness.

- Don’t Make the Same Mistakes Again: Remember what you didn’t do correctly the next time you’re outdoors: Your skin is very vulnerable and needs to stay protected. And once you get sunburned, no amount of sunscreen can stop the burn from appearing. Get out of the sun right away!

Read: Going to the Beach? Tips to Save Your Skin.

For daily skin care tips, read our Beautiful Skin Blog, follow Renée on Twitter and join our Facebook page.

Sign up here to receive our monthly skin tip e-newsletter delivered directly into your email box!

Content Copyright © 2012, Renée Rouleau, Inc

PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may use any items from this article in your print, blog, magazine or electronic newsletter. But in order to do so, you must include the following paragraph including a link to www.ReneeRouleau.com.

Information courtesy of www.ReneeRouleau.com, a website with skin care tips, products based on nine skin types and advice from skin care expert and celebrity esthetician, Renée Rouleau.