Sunburn, it’s sensation like your skin is on fire. As is common knowledge that when you have been out in the sun for too long or exposed to artificial light-emitting Ultraviolet rays (A & B) it causes skin damage, which is called sunburn. The skin appears red, is irritated and feels hot to touch.
The damage has been done, will be evident after a couple of hours, but the extent will show up in the symptoms. A more severe case will lead to:
- Pain
- Swelling
- Small blisters
- Even headache, fatigued feverish and nausea
Any exposed body part or even the covered area with space enough for light to enter can be affected.
It is easily self-diagnosable, and usually, home remedies help. Within days it can resolve itself when your skin will shed/peel the damaged layer and do away with the sunburned part. Other remedies include applying cream/lotions gel to cool the skin. You can also use damp towels ice packs to soothe it. Painkillers can be taken to combat pain, medicines to treat swelling or severe sunburn can be taken, and most importantly avoid further damage from the sun.
For severe situations, you can and you should consult Doctor, like a lot of skin is damaged, the symptoms don’t get better or go away even in a few days. Pain swelling increases or high fever.
The problem with sunburn is too much of it or too many times increases the risk of greater damage to the skin like premature aging and the biggest of all skin cancer melanoma. So, the best strategy is prevention, which isn’t all that difficult
- Apply sunscreen 30 minutes on all exposed body parts before stepping out in sun, and reapply it regularly
- Avoid hours from noon to 4 pm time as this is the danger time
- When you step out seek shade
- Keep yourself and your eyes covered
- Drink water
- Avoid tanning beds and other such equipment
The last point above is a crucial one and here’s a fun fact for you, tanning is actually your body’s defense mechanism trying to protect itself from harmful sun rays. When your skin is exposed to more sun than it can handle it automatically creates more pigment darkening your skin color which protects from damage, but using tanning beds doesn’t function like vaccination process as you may like. Surely the color of your skin is less important when compared against the risk of skin cancer.
As a child, I had often wondered if there can be something as too much sun, and as an adult, I can answer, yes there can be. So, stay safe stay sunny inside.