Although you have the right sunscreen, sometimes it happens: a day at the beach with the little sea breeze refreshing you and between dip and dip you have not noticed and at the end of the day you realize that you look like a crab. With luck notes the skin hot and a little tight … if not, you may have burned and in a few hours the mere touch with clothes makes you see the stars. Once arrived here, what now?
Take a warm or cool shower
The first thing you can do is take a shower with fresh water (not very cold) to help you lower the temperature of your skin and clean it of all the remains of cream, salt or sand that you can carry.
Just do it with care: if you have sand and rub, it can hurt a lot. Rub yourself gently and let the water carry away all the debris you may have from the beach. If you wash your head, be careful also: rubbing vigorously you can discover with some pain that you have burned your scalp.
After the shower, hydrate
Once you have cleansed the skin, it is important to help her regain the hydration she has lost with the sun. Apply the most moisturizing cream you have
Anyway, due to the situation of special vulnerability of your skin at that time, it is important that the cream does not have aggressive ingredients or aromas. If in doubt, look for lotions that contain aloe vera and that are especially indicated for sensitive skin.
If you have it at hand, apply aloe vera directly
Aloe vera is a plant with very dry environments that contains a kind of transparent gelatin inside its leaves. If you can get one, apply it directly on the burned skin and you will notice an instant relief, because it is fresh and moist, and will create a layer on the skin that will retain hydration. Put it as many times a day as you want and you will notice an immediate improvement.
If not, look for aftersun
Not everyone has an aloe vera plant on hand, but you can go to the pharmacy and buy aftersun, special creams after sunbathing (not only if you’ve burned) that make special impact on hydration and refreshment of the skin.
From now on, avoid the sun
It would be logical to think that, total, now that you have burned yourself, you have no problem to continue sunbathing. Error. Your skin is now more vulnerable than ever and you should not expose it to further aggression. Avoid exposing it to the sun again, and apply plenty of sunscreen. In the case of the scalp: get a nice hat that will accompany you the rest of the summer.
Beware of dehydration
It is not uncommon for burns to be accompanied by a certain degree of insolation. In any case, they are a source of dehydration, so make sure you stay well hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids, especially fresh water (avoid alcohol and soda).
Wet towels on burns
During the first days, nights can be very uncomfortable. Try to sleep with wet towels on the burns to keep them cool and hydrated and that way you can sleep better. Use them also during the day if the burning of the bites bothers you. If instead of moistening them you use the towels to wrap ice with them that melt and wet them, the effect will be more refreshing and last longer.