Five Ways to Treat Sunburns (Health and Wellness)

Rays pierce through the skin, damaging the body forever. Welts form where the rays hit, leaving red skin and a sting. The greatest enemy to children strikes again: sunburns.

Sunburns have a horrible effect on the body and can leave lasting damage on the skin such as scars, dark spots, blisters, wrinkles, or even skin cancer.  The Skin Cancer Foundation has claimed that the cause of 90% of all skin cancers come from ultraviolet radiation damage (source). Permanent damage from the sun can be avoided with the help of these weird tips:

Apply cold yogurt: Yogurt is acidic and will help to bring down the pH of the skin to its natural level of 5.5. Because it contains lactic acid, yogurt is also an anti-inflammatory. Apply cold, plain yogurt to sunburns for up to 15 minutes for the best effect. This will also soothe the burns and heal the skin because enzymes in yogurt will break down burnt, dead skin and cleanse the epidermis layer. Rinse and wipe off the yogurt afterward. 

Chilled Aloe Vera: Aloe vera is one of the best lotions to use on burns because it heals the skin.  Using cold aloe vera on sunburns will automatically cool down irritated and burnt skin. For this method, it’s best to use the gel form of aloe vera lotion.

Black Tea-Soaked Cloth: Black tea will help bring down the body temperature and relieve the stinging sensation. Black tea has antioxidants and polyphenols that decrease the amount of cancerous and dead cells in the body. Soak a clean cloth in some cooled black tea to treat a sunburn. The tea concentration should be strong for the most effective relief.

Create a medicinal paste: Crush two aspirin tablets into a fine powder and add a little bit of water. This should create a paste if the concentration is correct. Apply the paste to the worst spots of the sunburn and rinse off after 30 minutes. Aspirin could be substituted with baking soda for a similar effect. Baking soda will also return the body’s pH level to its natural state and relieve stings.

Apple cider vinegar bath: Vinegar has antiseptic properties that calm irritated and itchy skin. Vinegar also clears bacteria and will prevent infections. Apple cider vinegar will reduce inflammation and relieve pain. This method could also be helpful for a heat rash, friction burn, or a regular rash. To make the bath, fill a tub with warm water then add two cups of apple cider vinegar and stir. Soak for roughly 15 tyy5o00minutes (source).

Sunburns can be very dangerous and harmful. If you ever have a sunburn, always remember to drink lots of water, wear loose fitting clothes, don’t bother blisters, and do easy going activities (source).