SunBurn
What is sun burn?
When you overexpose yourself to the sun, you might get sunburn. Naturally the sun has ultra violet (UV) radiation which is not good for human living tissues such as the eye or the skin. Now, when you overexpose yourself to the sun, there is a huge likelihood that your skin will be damaged by the UV, leaving you with sunburn.
What causes sunburn?
I assume you already know that sunburn is caused by overexposing yourself to the sun; but how exactly does it happen? First, you should know that sunburn is the result of your skin's defensive measure against damaging effects of ultra violet radiation. Sunburn is peripheral compared to cancer; which is a risk caused by overexposure to the sun. Excessive exposure to UV excites the molecules in your cell's DNA, causing 'genetic breakdown', and 'mutation'. Cell mutation is almost always associated with cancer. It is very important to protect your skin from the sun's dangerous UV rays in order to avoid the risks associated with skin cancer.
Symptoms of sunburn
There are quite a number of symptoms associated with sunburn. If you have sunburns, your skin gets red like a blushing cheek; and there will be some blisters. It comes with pains, tingling pains on your skin, swelling, and dehydration (the sun sure dries up the moisture in you). Your head will start to ache, you start to feel dizzy, feverish, and you might get some chills too.
Natural treatment for sunburn
Now, before we venture into the treatments of sunburn, it is important for you to know that the kind of treatment meant for a mild sunburn may be different from the treatment for severe sunburn. A mild sunburn gives you some pains and turns your skin red, nothing dramatic; but if it is a severe sunburn, you will get blisters and cracked skin. The treatments do not vary that much, you just have to be careful not to use the kind of treatment that will cause more irritation to your cracked or blistered skin (i.e.in the case of severe burn). Asides that, you are good.
So if you have a sunburn, first of all, get a cool shower or put some ice on the affected area, then you can go for any of the following natural remedies
- Aloe vera: This is an age long treatment for sunburn. Get an aloe vera leaf, extract the gel in it and gently massage it unto the affected area.
- Irish potatoes: Grate or get a slice of some Irish potatoes and apply them on your sunburnt skin. The aim of grating the potatoes is to get the juice out. That is what works on your damaged skin.
- Peppermint oil: The use of peppermint oil on a mild sunburn helps to cool and heal the sunburnt skin. This is a bad idea for severe burns with cracked skin and blisters as it tends to cause more irritation to the skin.
- Black or green tea: You can add some black or green tea to your bathwater. This will help sooth your skin. You can also pat the affected area with a wet tea bag.
If you have sunburn, it is only wise to stay away from the sun; and if your sunburn is severe in a scary way, or is not responding to the natural treatments, you might just have to visit the hospital.
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