Home Remedies For Sunburns

SunTan

Constant exposure to UV rays increases melanin in your skin. Moreover, UV light exposure is not only limited to bright summer days as they are also present in winter and monsoon seasons.

The melanin produced in the skin is to protect you sun damage and the amount is determined by genetics. Melanin acts as a natural sun barrier equivalent to an SPF 4.

It is crucial that you minimize sun exposure in order to reduce your risk of premature skin aging and skin cancer.

Symptoms of excessive sun exposure include redness, stinging and peeling of the skin.

Some home treatments for tan and sunburns include:

1. Potatoes

If you suffer from searing hot red skin, dig out a few potatoes from the back yard or the fridge, whichever is nearer and wash and scrub them thoroughly, then either grate them or blend them to make a paste. This paste can act as a pain reliever and a major rescuer from skin ailments such as skin irritations, scratches, bites, and burns. It may as well reduce redness and inflammation in the skin. Some people feel that the juice of a potato works the best, while others feel just slices are adequate. You can try both, the juice (soak cotton balls thoroughly in it) and slices (lying them directly on your burn) depending on the condition of your skin and determine which one is the best remedy for your sunburn.

2. Milk

A cool milk compress might seem a bit odd but it is one of the quickest, simplest and most affordable ways of treating sunburn. The initial coolness of the milk will minimize the heat, while a thin layer of protein gets coated on your skin to protect it so that your can skin, heal and experience less discomfort.

3. Baking soda

Yes, baking soda or some cornstarch can kill your sunburn. The cool, silky texture of cornstarch is probably the best way to naturally soothe your burnt skin and like milk, it is something your have readily available and don’t have to go out hunting for. If you’re out of cornstarch, you can even use baking soda. Both can relieve you of the pain and reduce the blisters of the burn. When mixed with cool water, both should give a paste like consistency which can be easily applied to burnt skin.

4. Stay hydrated

A sunburn is the “burning” of skin and it entails even more if ignored. It sounds like stating the obvious, but we really don’t have a choice when confronting that we actually, truly, seared our skin. As the case with any other thing that burns your skin, a sunburn will also leave it dried out and shrivelled. Thus, to repair it, you will need water. Keep a tall bottle or a glass of cool water close to your reach and keep yourself hydrated to heal as fast as you can.

5. Aloe vera

Aloe Vera gel is as cool as anything can get. This gel-like plant extract can take away all your skin problems from the root. Aloe vera has soothing properties and can easily cool a burn and reduce redness of the skin. Because aloe vera serves a number of uses for the skin and it's handy to have a plant growing in your house, they're much easy to maintain and demand nearly no attention. If you would really prefer a more savvy approach, getting some good quality aloe vera gel from the store is not such a bad idea either.

6. Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a traditional remedy for several skin treatments. Taking an oatmeal bath can relax your body from head to toe and soothe your burns. The polysaccharides in your favourite oatmeal will coat and heal your skin. Furthermore, the cool water obviously cools you down and keeps your skin hydrated and moist. Make sure your bath is tepid, or slightly on the cooler side. Cold water will seal off pores and your body will trap more heat.

References

https://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/beauty/sun-care/10-home-remedies-for-sunburn.htm

https://www.medicinenet.com/10_home_remedies_for_sunburn_treatment/views.htm