Sunburn! Treatment and Prevention

We all love the sun and enjoy spending time in it. A few of us are lucky enough to afford a mid-winter or summer break in Hawaii, Bermuda or the Bahamas.
While everyone needs sunscreen, people headed for islands need to be even more careful.

Islands rarely suffer from air pollution. The upside of this is clean, fresh air. However, because of this the sun is more intense. And if you are closer to the equator that too, will make a difference. Plus on an island you have the reflection from the water that also intensifies the sun's power.

But suppose you got caught up in vacation fun, forgot the sunscreen and could now pass for a lobster's twin. What do you do?

Fortunately, you have a wide choice of remedies, both homemade and over the counter preparations.

You can apply antioxidant creams such as a topical vitamin C or vitamin E cream. According to Dr. Nicholas Perricone in 'The Wrinkle Cure,' one should be sure the vitamin C cream is vitamin C ester. Vitamin C ester is more easily absorbed into the skin because it is fat-soluble. In his personal experiments, Dr. Perricone discovered that sunburns treated with vitamin C ester healed in half the time as burns treated with other creams.

It is also recommended that you take vitamins E and C to help combat the free radicals that are responsible for skin cancer. These vitamins also help the burn to heal faster.

And along with the vitamins take an aspirin. The aspirin will alleviate pain and inflammation. Take the aspirin for two days.

Doctors also recommend that you enjoy a twenty-minute soak in a cool bath to which you have added 1/2-cup baking soda.

A popular home remedy is to add two cups of apple cider vinegar to the cool bath water

There are also other home remedies. One is to brew a large pot of very strong black tea and cool it well. Then soak cotton pads in the tea and apply them to the sunburn.

Another is to slather cold yogurt or sour cream on your skin. It is supposed to relieve itching and burning.

And aloe vera is a tried and true remedy. Many people grow the plants in their gardens just to have handy in case of a burn. However, aloe vera creams and lotions are readily available at cosmetic counters. The higher the aloe content, the more effective the cream will be.

However, preventing sunburn is superior to treating it. This can be difficult for people with sensitive skin. However, a preparation that totally blocks the sun and is great to use on your nose, lips and other particularly vulnerable areas is white zinc oxide cream. You may resemble a clown starting with his face makeup as your nose, lips, and eyelids will be white. But lifeguards don't seem to mind as they use it extensively.

A little sun before 10:30 AM or after 4:30 PM is beneficial for your physical health however if you will be out longer than twenty minutes you need the sensitive area protection plus a sunscreen with a SPF of 15. When purchasing the cream, be sure it protects against both UBA and UVA rays.

Don't skip the sunscreen just because it is a cloudy day. You can get burned even then. And protecting your skin from sun damage is the best strategy you can employ to prevent skin cancer.