Sunburns

[SoulEata]

I'm reading conflicting advice. If you have a sunburn, should you take a hot shower, or a cold shower?

[+Warwagon MVC]

neither, just rub butter on it. j/k

cold water, generally on a burn you want to cool it.

[maplecookie Veteran]

If the sunburn is really bad, take a cool bath instead. It doesn't need to be ice cold, just cool. Rub aloe on afterwards to keep your skin from drying out.

[JackBauer87]

Generally room temp water is the smartest bet. Dont recall why, but one time I had a sunburn and took a cold bath and was yanked out by my mother because it was supposedly bad for you.

[PL_ Veteran]

Funny you should ask that, I got burnt the other day and decided to take a cold shower, doesn't seem to have done much good :/

[Brian M. Veteran]

I always use Vinegar whenever I have sunburn - I think it's one of those old wives' tales, but it seems to work :p

[jimbo12141]

Don't take a hot shower, generally that can cause worse things to happen, even though it doesn't hurt at the time.

When you get sunburnt, it doesn't happen all at once, over 12-24 hours, small chemical reactions take place, as the skin is still very hot, which obviously aids other reactions. By taking a hot shower, this can sometimes help to keep the area hot and thus make sunburn worse etc.

One home-made remedy i use:

Bowel/Pitcher of warm water, put 3-6 teabags in (earl gray) and leave until the water goes very dark brown/black. Get a cloth/tea towel - soak it and then dab it over your sunburn. Do this until the tea runs out and i suggest you do it in the bath (can get messy).

Don't wash it off afterwards (i suggest before bed or something) and just leave it. Take a normal shower the next day, and the sunburn will be significantly reduced!

[Angelic Marge]

Take a cool bath with 2 ounces of baking soda. Don?t put soap on the sunburn. Just remember the more sunburn you get when your young the higher the risk of skin cancer in later life

Sunburn

If you have a tendency to get sunburn, you are at more than average risk of melanoma. People most at risk are those who don't tan at all -

* The fairest skinned people

* Those who go red and then peel before getting a tan

Research has looked into the link between sunburn and melanoma. Sunburn definitely increases the risk of melanoma. People with melanoma are twice as likely to have been badly sunburned at least once in their lives. The risk is higher if you have had sunburn several times in your life. Sunburn in childhood is even more damaging than sunburn as an adult.

[Rappy Veteran]

When I got third degree burn in Corfu once they had to cover me in Yoghurt to take the heat down but yeah don't follow my advice.

[BenSeidelman]

Ugh! I got super bad sunburn today. I was looking around and you should take neither a hot shower or cold shower.

Cold shower and send your body into shock.

Hot shower can dramatically worsen sunburn.

It says you should either take a slightly cool shower or a WARM shower. Not too warm.

Man, my body is so red. I hope it goes away. It hurts SO bad.

:'~[

Also, for some reason I feel sick. This morning I felt fine but now my stomach hurts and I am just out of it.

[maplecookie Veteran]

You might feel like you have the flu for a day or two when you get a serious sunburn.

Don't take showers, take a bath. If the swelling gets too bad got to the doctor!

[Barney T. Administrators]

When I got third degree burn in Corfu once they had to cover me in Yoghurt to take the heat down but yeah don't follow my advice.

A third degree burn :|

That is when your skin is so burned it is charred....... and it doesn't hurt because the nerve endings have been burned away.......... hope that didn't happen.

Anyways, a sunburn is a radiation burn, so there isn't much you can do. I always suggest a topical numbing cream (like Solarcaine). This contains lidocaine (xylocaine) that numbs the skin and therefore reduces the pain (temporarily). Cold aloe gel works well too....

The best advice, however is to avoid a sunburn altogether by using strong sun blocks...........

Barney, Registered Nurse

[nvme]

get some aloe gel, put it in the fridge, then put it on you. i'll be extremely cold but it feels awesome.

[Glowstick]

Flammazine is a great gel against burns of any kind. I treated a slight 220?C water vapor burn with it, no signs left.

[~WinGz~]

I think that a body temperature shower is the best, you don't feel it and you dont get hot or cold.

Plus its more comfortable.

[leesmithg]

Rub in some extra virgin Olive Oil.

Plain Olive Oil, thats all.

[funkymunky]

Buy some proper After Sun from a reputable brand that contains Aloe Vera, fridge it and apply coldish.

Don't listen to all these "old wives" tales.

The Aloe will cool the pain, and the after sun contains moisturiser that will help nourish the damaged skin :)

I got it really bad twice lately :( I never learn lol