With summer finally just around the corner (Editor’s Note: !!!), it’s time to consider the strength of the sun and the delicacy of our skin. While we should take all measures possible to avoid becoming burnt, it happens. Why does it matter? Sunburns are the cause of serious damage; in fact, having just five sunburns doubles your risk for melanoma, the most severe form of skin cancer. So, the smartest thing to do is start treating your skin as soon as possible. Here are a few tips for protecting and relieving your skin.
1. Get out of the sun! If your skin starts to hurt in the sun, or even just feel a little warm, you are probably already sunburnt. So get out of the sun! Put a hat on, run under an umbrella, or go inside. It’s not worth it to stay in the sun even for a few more minutes.
2. Hydrate. Make sure you are drinking lots of water. Not soda or flavored beverages, but rather actual water. Water can not only help your skin heal, but it can also nourish your body; the importance of water should never be underestimated.
3. Be gentle with your skin. Shower with cool water, and make sure that the pressure it not too strong. If your scalp is burned, you will definitely feel it in the shower. If the shower is too painful, take a cool bubble bath instead.
4. Slather yourself with aloe vera. Run and get a tub of aloe vera to treat your skin. Not only will this cool your skin, it will also start to heal the burns. Aloe vera has tons of uses, so having a supply of it around is always convenient.
5. Moisturize. After the aloe vera has dried, put on some moisturizer. This will feel cool on your skin as well as help to prevent blisters. If blisters do form, do not pick them! Leave the blisters to heal, and keep applying aloe vera and moisturizer to ensure they don’t leave scars.
6. Stay out of the sun. Once your skin is burnt, it is very sensitive. So make sure you don’t jump back into the sun the next day. Wait for your skin to heal before going to soak up those rays.
Hopefully these tips will help your skin stay health in the sun. Have a great summer!