Tanning Bed Tips to Heal a Burn Fast

Protect your skin even when tanning.

Getting some color in a tanning bed can put you on the fast track to being ready for an outdoor occasion or vacation, but tanning beds can also cause you to be redder than a lobster for those occasions. It is easy to avoid burns with the use of sunscreen, but much harder to get rid of the burn quickly.

Cold Water

Cool down in the bathtub.

Once you realize you are burned, run cool water over the affected area for 5 to 10 minutes to soothe the skin. When drying off, pat your skin dry with a towel, don't rub. You could also cover your skin with a cool compress, such as damp towels. Don't cover the burn in ice, which can irritate the burn more and give you undesirable results.

Moisturize

Stay moisturized with aloe lotion.

Continually apply moisturizing products to the skin (especially ones with aloe) to keep the skin from becoming dry and causing more pain. Avoid any sort of lotion containing alcohol as this will only dry out the skin more. Watch out for sunburn treatment products that contain anesthetics (such as benzocaine), especially on young children. These products often hurt more than they help. Stick with an aloe product and make sure to keep the skin lubricated.

Avoid the Sun

Stay in the shade if possible.

If you're already burned, avoid the sun as much as possible until the burn has healed. Staying in the shade or indoors until the sun starts to go down can speed the healing process. When you must be outside, wear protective clothing, including wide brimmed hats, sunglasses, long sleeves, pants and sunscreen. Apply sunscreen before you go outside and again every few hours if you have to stay outside. This lessens the chances of a worse burn.

Take Aspirin

Aspirin helps with pain management.

Sunburns can be very painful, taking an aspirin with acetaminophen reduces that pain if taken regularly. If you sense that you are going to burn after exposing your skin to the UV rays from the tanning bed, immediately take two aspirin and continue taking 2 every 4 hours. This preventative action can eliminate some of the hardship of being burned and allow you to start the healing process faster. Remember to drink plenty of water when taking the aspirin. Dehydration only worsens the situation.

Sleep it Off

Try getting some rest in a darkened room. If you need, take a sleeping aid or drink some herbal tea. This should rid you of some of the burning feeling in your body, but not necessarily the redness. Before you lay down to go to sleep, dip some paper towels in the plain, unsweetened tea and lay them over the burned area. This will also help alleviate the burning sensation.

References

• University of Maryland Medical Center: Burns
• Mayo Clinic, "Sunburn Treatment: What Works?" by Lawrence E. Gibson, M.D
• New Zealand Dermatological Society: Sunburn