Hot summer days can lead to sunburns
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By Teresa Bigham/The Hesperian-Beacon—
FLOYD COUNTY – More than one-third of adults and nearly 70% of children admit they’ve gotten sunburned within the past year, according to the CDC.
You lie in the sun hoping to get a nice golden tan. Instead we walk away from our beach towel or lawn chair looking like a lobster.
Despite health warnings about the sun damage many of us still subject our skin to the sun’s burning rays.
Everyone already knows the simple explanation behind sunburns. When your skin is exposed to sun rays for a period of time, eventually it burns, turning red and painful. Under the skin things get more complicated. The sun gives three wavelengths of ultraviolet (UV) light.
- UVA
- UVB
- UVC
UVC light doesn’t reach the surface of the Earth. The other two types of UV light not only reach your beach towel, but they penetrate your skin. Skin damage is cause by both UVA and UVB rays.
That sunburn is the most obvious sign that you’ve been sitting outside too long. Sun damage is not always visible. Under the surface of your skin, ultraviolet light can prematurely age your skin. Over time the damage can contribute to skin cancer, including deadly melanoma.
How soon sunburn begins to damage your skins depends on three things, your skin type, the sun’s intensity and how long you were exposed to sun rays.
When you get a sunburn your skin turns red and feels tight. If the burn is severe you can develop swelling and blister. You can even get feverish with chills and have a headache and feel weak. A few days after your skin will start to peel and itch. This is your body trying to rid itself of sun damage cells.
You will be wanting and needing some sunburn relief. Sunburn treatment is designed to attack the burn on two fronts, relieving reddened, inflamed skin while easing the pain.
If you find yourself needing relief from a sunburn first try applying cold compresses to your skin or take a cool bath to soothe the burn. Next you might want to try some creams or gels to take the sting out of your sunburn, gently rub on a cream or gel that contains ingredients such as menthol, camphor or aloe. Another helpful tip is to refrigerate the cream first. This will be good on sunburned sun. Remember to drink plenty of water and other fluids so that you don’t become dehydrated. Avoid the sun until your sunburn heals.
You can follow the above steps to treat a sunburn yourself but you’ll need to call your doctor if you get a fever of 102 degrees or higher, chills that don’t go away, severe pain or blusters that cover over 20% or more of your body.
