Picture it: you are out in the sun all day and forgot to reapply sunscreen (every 2 hours). Before you know it you have scored a nasty sunburn - what do you do now? Below are some key tips to follow should sunburn occur.
1. Get out of the sun
This sounds like a no-brainer, but it’s crucial, and something people often don’t do. If some damage has already been done, you don’t want to harm your skin any further. Stay out of the sun until the burn fades completely.
2. Assess the damage
Most sunburns aren’t severe enough to warrant a trip to A&E. Even if a couple of small blisters pop up, it’s usually safe to treat the burn at home. If you or the person with sunburn develops blisters on more than 20% of the body, you should seek medical attention immediately. It is advised to go they to the hospital if feeling nauseous, having intense chills or running a fever.
If you’re not sure of the type of burn you have received, check out the helpful chart below.
3. Take a pain reliever
For sunburns that can be treated on their own, over-the-counter painkillers can take the edge off. If the burn isn’t so bad - mainly the skin just feels a little tender - take some ibuprofen, as it acts an anti-inflammatory to reduce swelling and ease pain.
4. Take a cool bath
It’s also important to cool the skin down gently, but skip the shower – the continual blast of water on scorched skin will not feel good. Also skip the soap on sunburned areas, as this will dry skin out even more.
5. Apply Medicare Burn Gel or Burn Dressing
Apply a liberal amount of burn gel as it is a cooling agent and an anti-inflammatory. Medicare Burn Gel contains aloe vera which cools and soothes skin, ideal for the treatment of burns, scalds, and sunburn. A top tip for even more relief from burns is to store your burn gel in the fridge.
Alternatively, a burn dressing applied to the affected area will soothe the area and protect it from infection.
6. Apply Medicare Aloe Vera Gel
When the damaged skin is healed and the inflammation had decreased, apply Aloe Vera Gel as it will nourish and moisturise the skin further.
7. Don’t get burned twice
Remember sunburn is a burn like any other, do not underestimate the damage sunburn causes.
With summer fast approaching, it is important to carry a product like Burn Gel with Aloe Vera with you on summer days in case of sunburn. Children have very sensitive skin, and more sun exposure means they are at risk of getting burnt.
Pop in to your local CarePlus Pharmacy to stock up on your Medicare burn essentials.
