June 2014

The Fourth of July is at the end of the week and for lots of us that means being outdoors. It’s time to break out the sunscreen, hats and umbrellas. But, fun in the sun ain’t so fun if you are suffering later from a sunburn. 1 day of sun can cause painful suffering for days. Most of us have experienced this at some point in our lifetimes. Just because you’re armed with a bottle of sunscreen doesn’t mean you’ll be successful in not getting burned. It’s important to be prepared and stay vigilant while enjoying a day of rays. I have some quick tips for how to properly use your sunscreen and what to do if you get too much sun. Skincancer.org has some great information on their website regarding applying sunscreen and how to treat a sunburn. “Sunscreen Explained”: Make sure you pay attention to these tips they offer.

• Use a broad spectrum spf product- Filters UVA and UVB rays
• Sunscreen should be reapplied every 1.5-2 hours depending on the spf of your sunscreen product.
• For a full day at the beach you should plan to use a 1/4 to a 1/2 bottle of sunscreen per person.
• Reapply every 1-2 hours or when coming out of water or toweling off.
• Where a hat and cover up as much as possible.

If you still end up getting burned make sure to treat your sunburn gently but treat it you must. If you press your skin and see pink while you’re still in the sun, look out, your symptoms will be a lot worse and probably super painful 4-6 hours later. How to treat a sunburn:

• Take an ibuprofen or other over the counter anti-inflammatory. Consult your physician to make sure this is safe for you to do.
• Hydrate.
• Treat burned area with aloe vera or an aloe vera moisturizer. Lotions can also be used effectively but they may keep you too warm and they may not be as pleasant as using an aloe vera type product.
• Cool off in a bath or shower
• Wear loose clothing
• If you have small blisters, leave them be, don’t pop any blisters or you may get an infection. If fluid collects in them you must give your body a chance to heal and absorb the fluid.
• If you have large blisters or blisters covering over 20% of your body then seek medical attention.

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