How to Treat a Sunburn

Video Transcript

"It was a beautiful day at the beach and you had a really good time and now you have a sunburn. My name is Beverly Bitterman Air MP; health and wellness consultant. So now what do you do? Well, a sunburn is actually a first degree burn so you want to treat it as such. One thing, one strategy that is quite helpful is to just put cool water on it. You could stand in a cold shower, you could lye in a cold bath depending on where the sunburn is. You also may want to apply an Aloe Vera spray. You can buy these things where you buy suntan lotion in the drugstore or supermarket and that can be quite soothing. Aloe is a very soothing plant. The other thing that you may need to do if the sunburn is severe is to take an analgesic like Tylenol; could be used for any age. Aspirin of course you do not want to give to children. So you can take an aspirin if you are over 16 years old. The other thing to think about in the future is what your sunscreen needs are and make sure you use plenty of it. Now if the sunburn lasts longer than a day or two, if you are unable to sleep because of the sunburn or if you have blisters. Those would be times when you'll have to see your medical provider because they'll want to evaluate for possible infections and maybe you'll need something stronger for the discomfort. My name is Beverly Bitterman, Nurse Consultant and I hope that your sunburn goes away quickly so you're back and enjoying life soon."