I thought I'd make this blog post for any of you who are making the best out of their Summer. I'm pretty sure all of are trying to get tanner, but if you are like me, tanning can sometimes be a problem because I always end up having sunburns instead of tans! So, I thought I'd separate this into two sections: preventing sunburns and treating sunburns. If you are interesting in a "How to Get the Perfect Tan" post, where I'd search tips for you to help you get nice and even tans, just comment below! Now, let's tackle the sunburns!
Prevent Sunburns:
- Let's start with the obvious here... use sunscreen on all exposed areas! It is recommended to use 30 or higher, and to reapply during the day. Not applying sunscreen to tan faster is the perfect recipe for disaster! You'll be red as a lobster before you know it, not to mention how harmful the sun can be on the skin if you don't protect yourself from it. If you want to know more about the effects of the sun on the skin, I urge you to read this article I found. If you want to know more about choosing the best sunscreen, read this article.
- Don't forget hard to reach places! Believe me, sunburns on your toes can be really painful. So don't forget areas like your ears, the back of your neck, the back of your knees, under the straps of your string bikini, etc.
- Avoid sunbathing during the beginning of the season! Your skin isn't used to excessive sun exposure at the beginning of the Summer, after we've spent months completely covered up. Sunbathing will just make you burn the first couple of times. You'll burn on the first day of your vacation and you won't be able to have fun the rest of the time because you'll be in pain.
- Avoid sunbathing during peak hours. This may vary depending on where you live, but that it usually between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. That is usually when the sun "hits" harder, and you'll just burn faster.
- Go gradually! It is way more efficient to expose yourself gradually. Use beach cover-ups during the first days, taking them off only for a couple of hours during the day. Build up the amount of sun exposure gradually. This will make you tan, not burn.
- Cover your head! Scalp sunburns can be the most annoying ones ever! Use a nice hat or simply apply a bit of sunscreen on your hair part. Hey, who cares if your hair will look a bit greasy.
Treating Sunburns:- Avoid further sun exposure! Same thing goes with tanning salons. That would be the biggest mistake. Let the sunburn heal before exposing yourself again.
- Examine your sunburns. If you have blisters, that means your skin has been severely damaged and you could get an infection if you try to break them, so just leave them alone.
- If the pain is really intense, and you have swelling, take pain relievers. This might help you for a couple of hours.
- Drink water! Since your body will have lost a part of its fluids, this is definitely useful!
- Apply a cool and soothing cream or gel on the affected areas! Something containing aloe will help the burns stay moist and will help the healing process. Butter, oil or strong ointments should be avoided, since they can irritate the burns even more!
- Take cool showers! Hot showers will accentuate the discomfort, so using cool water will help you find a bit of relief. Also use mild soaps and avoid using scrubs as they will irritate the affected areas even more.
- Wear loose-fitted clothes. Your skin will be very sensitive in those areas and wearing something like jeans will rub on the skin and be painful.
- Don't pull on peeling skin! I know this is VERY tempting but trust me, you're not helping! The sensitive layer of skin under will be damaged if you force it to be exposed ahead of time.
Hope this was helpful to all of you! Stay tuned for my next blog post and don't forget to follow!
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