Sunburns often occur after prolonged and unprotected exposure to the sun and artificial UV sources such as sun lamps. When exposed to UV rays that cause sunburn, dark spots and water-filled spots may occur on the skin surface. Drying or wrinkling of the skin may also occur. In addition to all these, the risk of skin cancer called melanoma increases. You can prevent sunburns and related symptoms by protecting your skin from direct sunlight. It is very important to protect the skin, especially in the open air. Attention should be paid not only in sunny weather, but also in cool or cloudy days.
What are the Risk Factors of Sunburn?
Some of the risk factors for sunburn can be listed as follows:
- Be fair-skinned, have blue eyes, or have red or blond hair,
- Living in a hot area with a lot of sun or at a high altitude,
- Working outdoors,
- Being in the sea, pool, beach, snowy areas that reflect sunlight
- Regularly exposing the skin to sunlight or UV rays emitted from artificial sources such as solariums without protection.
What are the Symptoms of Sunburn?
Symptoms that occur due to sunburn usually appear a few hours after exposure to the sun. You can get a sunburn on any exposed part of your body, including your earlobes, scalp, or lips. Even indoors, sunburn can occur if your clothing has texture that allows ultraviolet (UV) light to pass through. If the sunburn is severe, headache, fever, nausea and fatigue may occur, and your eyes, which are extremely sensitive to UV rays, may burn.
Symptoms such as skin redness, pain or swelling on the skin begin 2-4 hours after sun exposure and reach a maximum in 24 hours.
Sunburn degrees, or in other words, sunburn levels, are examined in 3 categories: 1. Degree Sunburn: Redness on the skin surface, feeling of pain due to tightness and sensitivity are among the symptoms encountered in 1st degree sunburn. Degree Sunburn: 2nd degree sun� In the event of a burn, symptoms such as redness, tightness, and pain when the surface is touched, as well as water-filled blisters on the skin can be seen.3. Degree Sunburn: Severe pain and crusting may occur on the skin. However, the incidence of this type of sunburn is low.
What to Do If You Have a Sunburn?
It can take 12 to 24 hours to understand the full extent and severity of a sunburn after sun exposure. Likewise, it may take a few days for the skin to begin to heal. Here are some suggestions for treating sunburn that help relieve sunburn discomfort:
- Keep Cool: Apply cold compresses to the affected skin, such as a towel moistened with cold water. Take cold showers often.
- Keep Moisture: Apply moisturizing cream to the affected skin area. Avoid products containing alcohol, which can further dry out the skin. For an effective treatment, consult a dermatologist, use the medications he recommends. Doing so will only slow down the healing process and increase the risk of infection.
- Take a Painkiller: In the presence of pain, report this to your doctor and take the pain medication recommended by the physician at the indicated dose.
- Gently Treat Peeling Skin. Treat as Way: Within a few days, the sunburned area may begin to peel. In its most basic definition, this is your body's method of getting rid of the top layer of damaged skin. You can continue to use moisturizing cream while your skin is peeling.
- Within a few days, the upper layers of the skin may peel off and begin to heal itself. After peeling, the skin may develop temporary patches of uneven color changes. A severe sunburn can take from a few days to a week to heal.
If a severe sunburn covers a large part of the body with blisters, if the sunburn is accompanied by high fever or severe pain, consult a healthcare professional for sunburn treatment.
Against Sunburn. How Should We Protect?
To avoid sunburn, exposure to the sun between 10.00-16.00 should be avoided. sun rays this hour is very strong. Therefore, try to do outdoor activities at other times. If you can't do this, limit the time you spend in the sun. Look for shade whenever possible.
When outside, wear a wide-brimmed hat. Wear clothing that covers you, including your arms and legs. Tightly woven fabrics provide more protection. You can consider using specially designed outdoor equipment to protect from sun rays. You can check the product labels for the presence of UPF. A high UPF number indicates that the product is more protective. Apply sunscreen to sun-exposed skin areas about 15 to 30 minutes before going outside. To prevent sunburn after the sea, it is necessary to renew the sunscreen every 3 hours. Use water-resistant sunscreen with a protection factor of at least 30 against ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. Do not use expired or older than three years sunscreen.
Use sunglasses outdoors. You can find out from your optician whether your glasses are UVA and UVB protected. Before buying a new pair of glasses, always check the UV absorption rating on the glasses label. Also, wearing sunglasses that fit your face or have wrap-around frames helps protect your eyes better.
You may be taking certain types of medications that make your skin more sensitive to the sun. You can consult your pharmacist or doctor about the side effects of the drugs and pills you have taken.
What is Good for Sunburn in Babies?
It should not be forgotten that babies' skin is very sensitive to the sun. To prevent sunburn in babies, it may be advisable to keep them cool, moist and out of direct sunlight. Especially newborn babies should not be exposed to direct sunlight. Wear sun-protective clothing as much as possible and spend time in shaded areas. Consider using sunscreen on infants and young children if sun-protective clothing and canopy are not available. What can you say? You can consult your doctor for the types of sunscreen creams that are suitable for your baby's skin.
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