How to Recover From a Sunburn

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how-to-recover-from-a-sunburn

What’s not to love about summertime in San Diego, right? The weather is perfect and there are always so many different outdoor activities to choose from. 

Spending time outdoors in the warm, summer sun definitely has its benefits, but it also can be harmful to your health. We’ve all been guilty of forgetting to reapply our sunscreen after spending countless hours laying on the beach or exploring San Diego on those rented beach cruisers. For these rare occasions that you forgot to apply your sunscreen, here’s how to recover from a painful and uncomfortable sunburn:

Relax in a Cool Oatmeal Bath

There are certain types of foods that aid in the healing process when it comes to sunburns and oatmeal is one of them. When mixed with water, the oatmeal acts as an anti-inflammatory and skin smoother for the burn. You can either pick up an oatmeal based treatment from any drugstore or you can easily create your own mixture by grinding up the oatmeal in a blender or food processor. 

Stay Away from Soap

While soaking in your soothing oatmeal bath, try to refrain from using soap. It might be a natural reaction to automatically reach for it to try and keep your skin as clean as possible, but the soap can actually dry out that uncomfortable sunburn, irritating your skin even more. 

Keep the Skin Moisturized

Sunburned skin lacks the proper hydration that your normal skin has so it’s extremely important to keep the burned skin moisturized for the healing process. Try using something like moisturizing lotion cream or aloe vera. 

Aloe vera is exceptionally useful for sunburns because it acts as a natural remedy for the burn while also providing antibacterial benefits. Apply the aloe vera to your burn multiple times a day in order to see a significant improvement with your skin and the pain of your burn. 

Make Sure to Stay Hydrated

Closely related to keeping the skin moisturized, make sure you are keeping yourself properly hydrated as well. Sunburns can easily lead to dehydration so make sure to drink extra fluids during the duration of your sunburn. Being properly hydrated will also aid in the healing process of the sunburn. 

Wear Loose Clothing

Wearing tight clothing on sunburned skin not only is exceptionally uncomfortable, but it can also irritate the already-damaged skin. Try wearing looser fitting clothing so your skin can breathe and heal even faster.

Get Plenty of Rest

You might be thinking, “How am I supposed to be able to rest with the pain and discomfort from this sunburn?” We know that it might be tough, but taking it easy on your body is an extremely important part of the recovery process. If you’re having problems sleeping, try taking some sort of pain reliever such as Advil or Tylenol which will help with the discomfort. 

Protect Your Skin

While there isn’t an instant and easy cure for sunburns, following the instructions above will make the recovery process easier and less painful. We know you’ve heard it before, but the easiest way to deal with a sunburn is to not get a sunburn in the first place. 

Here at Siti Med Spa, we care about you and your skin. Protect yourself while out in the sun with one of our SkinMedica Sunscreens. 

Our products include:

  • TOTAL DEFENSE + REPAIR Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 34 Tinted
  • TOTAL DEFENSE + REPAIR Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 50+ Sports-Ready Formulation, Water-Resistant up to 80 minutes
  • Essential Defense Mineral Shield Broad Spectrum SPF 32 Sunscreen Tinted
  • Essential Defense Mineral Shield Broad Spectrum SPF 35 Sunscreen