Sunburn: all links so far

sunburn

• Changes due to sun exposure

• The Healing Properties of Aloe Vera

• My Sunburn Preparedness Kit

• SUNBURN RELIEF COCKTAIL: Important TIPS & help for healing a sunburn—updated

Also see

• Sun & Your Skin: all links so far

• Sunless Tanning: all links so far

• Sunscreen—Info & Misc: all link so far

SUNBURN RELIEF COCKTAIL: Important TIPS & help for healing a sunburn—updated

So now you’ve done it—you’re showcasing a really bad sunburn. Your friends are calling you The Lobster because you fried your skin in the sun. While they may be chuckling at you (hopefully not!), you are really in pain. It’s like lying on a stove top with the burners on. You’re a piece of toast that stayed a bit too long in the toaster. You’re overdone.

If you’ve ever had sunburns you know how painful they can be, and a sunburn can bring with it some serious side effects. Because you have just damaged a large section of skin, your body has been signaled to flood the area with fluids to help begin the repairing process. This will cause slight to acute swelling or edema. It will make your skin feel tight and even more painful as the fluids stretch out your burned and sensitive skin. I want to emphasize the importance of the following advice. It has saved me and many clients from a lot of pain. I hope you never get burned, but if it happens I hope this Sunburn Relief Cocktail can help.

Yes, that is me about 10 years ago

I have gotten some really bad sunburns in my lifetime. Mostly they occurred before I became an aesthetician but sometimes on a rare occasion, I could be found with a bad burn well into my 40s. Regarding this photo of sunburned me: It just goes to show you that even when you know better, you don’t always do better. I was on a mountain hike (when I lived in Colorado). I had a long-sleeved shirt to throw on, and for whatever the reason(s), I didn’t. And I paid the price—obviously. But I did take a photo to show you that even the smartest people can do dumb things! On another mountain excursion, I missed a small spot on my arm when applying sunscreen and got a sunburn there. After using this cocktail, my skin never peeled and the red of the burn went away within a day.

The Sunburn Relief Cocktail is something easy to use, with products that are easy to find, that will give you relief immediately and throughout your sunburn to help heal your skin and keep it from flaking as time goes by.

The ingredients for the Sunburn Relief Cocktail are simple:

1. Aloe vera gel
2. Lavender essential oil
3. Body cream, whichever one you currently use

That’s it. I’ll go into more detail about these items, especially the aloe, to help you understand why you want to include them in your sunburn relief concoction then I’ll give my recommendations for application.

Aloe vera is 99% water, 1% protein. The water helps to replace the fluids that have been lost through sun exposure; the protein helps to rebuild damaged tissue. Aloe is a contact healer, meaning it starts to heal on contact. In cases of severe burns, aloe vera alone as well as this cocktail will not be enough, and you will want to seek medical treatment. But for the average, milder type of sunburn, aloe vera gel along with the other two ingredients in your cocktail will give you instant relief.

You’ll want to find a product that is at least 95% aloe gel, although nowadays 100% aloe is easy to find. The higher the percentage, the less “other junk” will be in it. There are gels on the market with ingredients like allantoin (a soothing agent extracted from the herb, comfrey) and cucumber extract, which are both beneficial in calming sunburned skin. So not all additions to the gel are “bad” but if you see a lot of chemical names in the ingredient list, search for a more pure product. Aloe vera gel is not expensive, and it keeps for a long time if refrigerated.

Lavender essential oil will add healing and soothing properties to your sunburned skin. It will help take the burn out of the area as well as help the affected skin to heal. This essential oil is easy to find. However, you want to be sure you purchase pure essential oil of lavender—not lavendin or a blend—just 100% lavender essential oil. Just to note: here with lavender and anywhere I discuss essential oils, I use the following names interchangeably: lavender, lavender oil, lavender essential oil, essential oil of lavender.

As far as your body lotion, assuming you have one, unless it has a lot of perfume in it, I imagine just about any one will do. The point to using a cream in this cocktail is so there is an emollient covering over the burned skin, rather than only having the fast absorbing aloe gel there. With the lotion, all the ingredients will have a better chance of staying on the affected skin vs. the aloe (even mixed with lavender), which will quickly absorb and your skin will be left to dry out.

If you don’t have a body moisturizing cream, you certainly can use a face cream although they usually are more expensive, so you make that choice. Body creams are easy to find and you can purchase something that is inexpensive. But do be sure to include a moisturizer in your Sunburn Relief Cocktail to insure your skin will be hydrated, not only from the aloe but from a cream as well.

If you are burned, you’ll want to start applying these products immediately and frequently. Here is what I recommend:

• First, apply straight aloe gel to the sunburned areas. Be generous! Applying aloe vera gel is one time you don’t want to scrimp on product. Let that first application dry, which won’t take long since it’s a gel.

• Next, apply a mixture of aloe vera gel along with several drops of lavender essential oil and whatever body cream you are using. Slather this on the affected area(s). The aloe vera helps with hydrating the skin and helping it heal faster; lavender takes the burn out of the overexposed skin and also soothes the area; the body cream keeps the lavender on the skin and also helps to hydrate at the same time. All of this will also help to keep the sunburned skin from peeling.

As soon as the Sunburn Relief Cocktail drys, I would reapply it. Or at least reapply it every 20 to 30 minutes for the first few hours and every hour or so after that for the first day of your burn. I have recommended this course of action to many clients over the years as well as using it for my own overexposure. If you keep applying the Sunburn Relief Cocktail  it can have a remarkable effect on a sunburn. 

I have to add this: Before I came up with this cocktail, I only used aloe vera gel on sunburns and still had amazing results as far as helping take the burn out as well as my skin not peeling. However, at some point I decided to try the other ingredients to super-power the aloe and found that incorporating all 3 items made the burn go away faster as well as helping the skin to stay hydrated. And because you’re using a moisturizer, you don’t have to apply the aloe gel as frequently since it doesn’t dry out due to the cream.

Don’t wait until you’ve become a lobster before getting these products at the store, and don’t forget to take them with you. Even hiking in the cool mountains can cause sunburn if your skin is overexposed. If you’re going on a vacation, or simply to the beach, put aloe, lavender, and body cream (perhaps a travel size) with you in your sunburn tool kit. You may not plan on being overexposed, but it happens so be prepared, and check out my Sunburn Preparedness Kit, too, for even more items to keep the burn away.

For more information, see:

• The Healing Properties of Aloe Vera 
• Lavender: A Medicine Cabinet Must!—updated
• My Sunburn Preparedness Kit

Skin changes due to sun exposure

There are many reactions that are caused when sunlight hits your outer skin. Melanocytes are excited into action, which in turn produce melanin, the pigment that gives your skin its individual color or tan. Sunlight causes freckles, the color in some moles, and potentially mild to severe sunburn. Finally, DNA can be altered and may form malignancies later on.

Melanin absorbs UV light and is produced by your body in an attempt to protect itself from radiation. A tan is the body’s way of responding to sun damage. When you see people walking around with a nice golden tan, they are literally exemplifying the body’s magnificent response to danger. If you have a tan, you have sun damage. The two are one and the same. Black skin, however, is naturally protected (in part) from the sun due to the high amounts of melanin inherent in the skin. So if you’re African-American or another dark skin type, you have not incurred damage; you are simply blessed with a built-in sunscreen from the melanin naturally (genetically) present in your skin.

A sunburn, quite simply, is caused by overexposure to the sun. It appears as inflammation followed by swelling of the outer, epidermal tissue. As the skin becomes inflamed, epidermal cells are killed prematurely. Later, this outer skin will flake off and peel.

Symptoms of a sunburn include redness, swelling, and pain upon touching the effected areas. Usually these symptoms manifest anywhere from one to 24 hours after overexposure. Depending on its severity, the sunburn will fade after several days, leaving behind skin that is sometimes tan and quite often peeling. The type of sunburn you most likely receive from sun exposure is classified as a first-degree burn. If blisters are associated with severe swelling, it is a second-degree burn.

Sun exposure causes cumulative damage. This is what a lot of people just don’t understand. You start accumulating “sun-time” from birth, whenever and however long you are exposed to the sun’s rays. This includes walking to and from your car as well as basking in the sun at the beach. The sun doesn’t differentiate one kind of exposure from the other. All exposure counts in terms of sun-time. Skin cancers can take many years to form under the surface. If you were sunbathing at 18 years old, it may take 10 to 20 years for that damage to show up.

I have sent many clients to the dermatologist to have a mole or a funny-looking spot checked out. I am noticing more and more odd places on peoples’ skin each year. The rate at which I send people to get their skin looked at seems to be accelerating. Maybe only one in 10 clients comes back with a diagnosis of skin cancer or a precancerous growth, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. If you get facials, hopefully your aesthetician is keeping a watchful eye out for your skin, your moles (new or existing), and any changes that may occur.

For more information, see:

• Skin Cancer ABCs 
• My Sunburn Preparedness Kit 
• SUNBURN RELIEF COCKTAIL: Important TIPS & help for healing a sunburn—updated

The Healing Properties of Aloe Vera

I can’t say enough about this miraculous herb. I have used aloe in many different circumstances, and each time it came through with flying colors.

Aloe vera is my #1 sunburn remedy. Whenever you’re going someplace where you’ll be exposed to the sun, I strongly recommend taking a bottle of aloe vera gel with you. It is easy to use and does a great job of healing and soothing the skin. Don’t leave home without it.

You can find 100% aloe vera gel at most health food stores. You don’t want to use a gel that has less than 95% aloe in it. Otherwise, you may get too many unwanted ingredients along with the aloe.

• Simply apply the gel to sunburned areas
• Because it’s a gel, it will dry fairly quickly
• Depending on the severity of the burn, I would apply it liberally and frequently
• It works on any kind of burn, not just sunburn

Keep it on hand for vacations or whenever you know you’ll get extended sun exposure.

Aloe vera gel is also good for dehydrated skin. If your skin has been exposed to the sun for an extended period of time (even if there is no sunburn), applying aloe gel is helpful. Because it is primarily water, aloe vera helps to replace the water lost through sun exposure, rehydrates the skin, and helps to reduce outer tissue damage.

Another way to keep general dehydration at bay on your face is to apply the gel after cleansing and before toning and using your moisturizer. The gel will act as an extra layer of hydration, adding water to the skin without adding oil. Therefore, aloe gel can help with all dehydrated skin, even if you have oily skin. Because of its gel-nature, it might cause a slight flakiness, which is just due to the dried gel. Usually if you apply moisturizer over the aloe gel, the flaking won’t occur.

An obstinate abscess. Years ago, my cat, Grace, was spayed. She kept licking her stitches and eventually developed an abscess due to the irritation. After the vet drained the abscess, he recommended keeping the cat from cleaning the area for a few days. How was I going to do that?

Knowing the healing properties of aloe vera gel, I put it on Grace’s stitches. She didn’t much like the taste, so I thought it would stop her from licking the area. I kept reapplying the gel frequently, and to my amazement, within 48 hours the abscess had completely gone away, and her incision had miraculously healed. I couldn’t believe it. I always knew the amazing healing job aloe could do for a sunburn, but I had never experienced its ability to heal a cut or an incision. Being termed a contact healer, it makes sense it would speed recovery with almost any injury.

Air bag survivor. A client called one day after her friend had been involved in a car accident. The air bag deployed (which was good), but the impact had basically burned her face (which was bad). The sudden speed of something hitting your face like that is bound to cause injury. This lady looked battered and bruised, and a good deal of her facial skin was singed. I recommended applying 100% aloe vera gel liberally and frequently and told her it was to be kept on at all times. I sent some information so she’d know what aloe was and why she was using it. Then I sat back and waited, knowing aloe vera would come to the rescue.

After a few days my client called with the results: Her friend only showed a trace of the accident’s effects. The burned places had healed up within the first day, and she didn’t show any signs of being in an accident. My client went on and on about how she couldn’t believe the difference between seeing her friend just moments after the accident in comparison to seeing her a few days later. They were both amazed that aloe vera gel could do so much in so little time.

The following information about the attributes of aloe vera is being used with permission from the authors of The How To Herb Book, my number one favorite herb book.

Aloe vera is one of the most popular and well-known herbs. It truly is one of the great healers. It belongs to the lili family of the succulent “aloes,” not the cactus as many people believe. Aloes have been used for centuries; they have even been found in Egyptian tombs.

Aloe vera:

• contains a pain-relieving agent and is a “contact-healer,” which means it starts healing on contact.
• is excellent for burns.
• gel is used by nursing mothers for sore nipples.
• rapidly penetrates the three layers of skin, carrying nutrients to all layers.
• juice can be used as an eyedrop to improve circulation and eyesight.
• stimulates circulation in wounded areas, which also promotes healing.
• promotes removal of dead skin and stimulates the normal growth of living cells, which helps wounds to heal rapidly.
• prevents and draws out infection.
• relieves itching in chicken pox.
• expels pinworms. Drink juice for several days.
• moisturizes and improves the skin. Is put in many cosmetics and shampoos. When the product contains other natural ingredients beneficial to the skin, this is wonderful because aloe vera’s penetrating ability helps to carry them through the three layers of skin. But if the products contain harmful additives, chemicals, or colorings, they could also be carried through the three layers of skin. Know what is in your product. Read the label!

I recommend keeping an aloe plant or at least some aloe vera gel (if not the juice, too) in your home. Not only for sunburns or burns you receive in the kitchen, aloe can help keep your skin feeling more hydrated—especially during the colder winter months.

For more information, see:

• My Sunburn Preparedness Kit
• SUNBURN RELIEF COCKTAIL: Important TIPS & help for healing a sunburn—updated
• 21 Years of Grace, if you’re interested in learning more about my wonder cat 

My Sunburn Preparedness Kit

If you are going on any kind of outing, take the following items to ensure you won’t have an attack of “lobster skin.” All of these suggested articles will fit in a small backpack or beach bag. Don’t leave home without them, or you may come back home sporting a sunburn. 

Always have a lightweight, long-sleeved, white T-shirt (like the kind you get for running a race or a sun-protective type). It will cover most of your upper body and save you from burning. You can pull it on and off if you are boating, on the beach, or even taking a long walk or hike. It can be wrapped around your waist when you aren’t wearing it. Lighter colors reflect light and won’t make you feel as hot as darker colors. Better yet, purchase an SPF-rated long-sleeved shirt. These are widely available nowadays, although they can be pricey.

Cotton, linen, or other lightweight, drawstring or other loose-fitting pants in a light, sun-reflecting color are good to have around—especially on a boat. If your legs have been exposed for a while, slip these pants on and keep the sun away until you’re ready for more. You can find SPF-rated long pants as well.

A bandana or scarf is another important sun protector. The T-shirt won’t cover the nape of your neck. If you have short hair or your hair is pulled up off your neck, this area is highly susceptible to sunburn. The bandana or scarf can be tied loosely around your neck, like a scout, covering most of the back of your neck. You can also dip the bandana in water before putting it on. (The water will help to keep you cool.) 

Take a hat. You should always have a hat with you, even if it’s just a visor or baseball cap, if you are going to be out in the sun. Wide-brimmed hats offer you much better sun protection than caps, but any kind of hat is better than no hat at all.

Of course, you want your trusty sunscreen. Waterproof is best if you are going to be in, on, or by the water. Waterproof sun protection also needs to be worn if you are going to be outside in the heat for any length of time where you’ll be sweating (even mowing the lawn or gardening). And finally, if you will be exercising, then of course you’ll want to wear waterproof sunscreen. Otherwise, in the first few minutes of sweating, you will be left unprotected.

Don’t forget your sunglasses. Most sunglasses sold today have UV sun protectors built into the glass. Check to make sure, and then make sure to wear them. Not only can they filter harmful rays from your eyes, but they will also keep you from squinting. (Squinting will rapidly increase the lines around your eyes.)

Aloe and sunburn. Probably the best known treatment for sunburn is aloe vera gel. If this is news to you, next time you have a severe or even just a slight sunburn, be sure to have aloe vera gel handy to help treat your damaged skin. Aloe is almost entirely made up of water along with proteins. Since sunburned skin has essentially had all the water sucked out of it, replenishing this vital hydrating liquid is all-important. Aloe vera gel will not only soothe the pain and swelling of a sunburn, it will also speed healing of your sun-damaged skin. Since sunburns do happen, always have aloe vera gel (100% gel is fairly easy to find) in your sunburn kit for those times when the sun has gotten the better of you.

Drinking water is also important because it helps to rehydrate your system after sun exposure. A bowl of water sitting in the hot sun will evaporate in a short time. Your body, through sweating and evaporation, also loses a lot of water when out in the sun. These fluids need to be replaced often. Keep in mind, alcohol is a diuretic and leaches water out of your body. If you’re drinking alcohol and are exposed to the sun, you really need to seek out some shade and keep your system hydrated with lots and lots of water.

All of these items

• a long-sleeved T-shirt
• loose-fitting pants
• a bandana
• a hat
• sunscreen
• sunglasses
• aloe vera gel
• water 

can easily be carried with you whenever you’re going to engage in outdoor activities. Be prepared, be careful, and most of all enjoy your (protected) self.

For more information, see:

• Hats, Hats, Hats! Protect your skin in the sun 
• SUNBURN RELIEF COCKTAIL: Important TIPS & help for healing a sunburn—updated
• To reapply or not. Is that in question?