Facts about Sunburn and Sunburn Treatments

Sunburn is a burn inflicted to a living tissue due to overexposure to ultraviolet radiation commonly from the sun’s rays. Usually, cases of sunburn present mild symptoms like reddish skin, fatigue and mild dizziness. Sunburn with less exposure to UV radiation often produce suntan. Those who are excessively exposed to UV radiation can be life-threatening. This condition is one of the leading causes of non-malignant skin tumors.

Typically, redness and varying degrees of pain especially on and around the area exposed are the symptoms of sunburn but other symptoms may present itself like edema, itching, peeling skin, rash, nausea and fever. The area of the skin exposed can be warm to the touch because of the concentration of blood in the healing process.

The ozone layer is the earth’s natural way of blocking a good amount of the sun’s UV radiation but since it’s been depleting the number of cases      of skin diseases and cancer has been growing surprisingly. The best cure in prevention that’s why it is highly recommended that the protection from direct sunlight should be observed. The UV index is an international standard measurement on how weak UV radiation at a particular place at a particular time. It also shows colored schematic. If an area is colored green it means there is little to no danger brought by UV, yellow is minimal risk, orange is high, red is very high and violet is extremely high. Wearing of sunglasses is also advised since UV radiation can also cause cataracts and other eye diseases. Using sunscreen with SPF (Sunburn Protection Factor) 15+ is recommended for areas with above green.

Treatments for mild and non-life threatening cases of sunburn are just plenty amounts of fluids, aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs). For additional measures, cool compresses and high-quality moisturizing cream can also be used. For severe cases, oral steroid therapy is being prescribed for several days. Consulting a doctor immediately is recommended for extreme cases.

Home made treatments can also be done by combining tea bags with mint leaves in boiling water. The mixture should be cooled (preferably chilled) before applying it to the affected area with cotton pads or spraying bottle.