A few weeks ago a client had to cancel our session because she was severely sunburnt. the next time I saw her she was still red which made me wonder what she looked like when it first happened. Youch!

Before we go any further let this message be driven home – put sunscreen on before you go outside, wear clothing that will protect your skin and try and stay out of the sun for lengthy periods of time. 

We all know that getting sunburnt is bad for you. Just one bad sunburn can increase your risk of skin cancer. Don’t let it become a habit.

If you’re burnt you’ve already damaged the cells in your skin Now it’s just a case of managing it. Here are a few methods that will help:

Pain relief

Take panadol to ease the pain and heat of sunburn. If this does not help try ibuprofen which is an antiinflammatory.

Ice Ice baby

Soak towels in ice water then apply to your sunburn areas. Apply for 20 minutes at a time, four to five times a day.

Bathe in Oats

Yep, oats! If your sunburn requires a full body soaking this is the best way to do it. Fill your bathtub with cool water (as cool as you can handle comfortably) let the water run through a sieve of raw oats. Or, you could fill an old stocking with oats and let it soak in the bath with you. This will have a soothing affect. Alternatively it’s also believed pouring a cup of white wine vinegar in the tub will help soothe as well.

Get your Aloe on

Once your sunburn has been soaked apply a generous amount of aloe vera gel onto affected areas. You need the real stuff though, the green goo in a tube! Lotions which have small amounts of aloe in them won’t do the trick. Also, suing too many lotions will clog up your sunburnt skin and that is the last thing it needs!

Nutrition

You can lessen the severity of the sunburn and aid the repair process by eating foods rich in antioxidants. These include but not limited to – green & black teas, fruit and vegetables, red wine, dark chocolate and nuts.

Watch out

If your sunburn has patches of purple or excessive blistering you are beyond self care. See a doctor as you may have serious skin damage.

You hear skin cancer alot. I’ve been mentioning it in recent posts, and they are really pushing the skin cancer ads on T.V. Summer is a time when we are outside a lot more, we go to the beach, play outdoor sports and activities and soak up the sun on the sand (well I don’t i’m the one under the umbrella trying to stay huddled in the shade! haha). But skin cancer is not an empty phrase. When you hear the words skin cancer, think flesh being cut from your skin. Doctors appointments, waiting rooms. Damaged skin with numerous spots and growths. Think about possible cancer treatment and the reality that it could take your life. Skin cancer isn’t something to be ignored or treated as a harmless ailing.

There are a great range of broad spectrum sunscreens which also include moisturiser. I used to only use sunscreen when I knew I would be outside or going to the beach/pools. However over the past 5+ years i’ve made it a habit to wake up wash my face then apply my 30+ sunscreen moisturiser. It’s very light, doesn’t clog up my skin and doesn’t smell like normal sunscreens. It also acts as a primer for my make-up when I use it. Too easy!

Sunburn not only increases your risk of skin cancer but it also damages your skin. I understand that a tan makes people look healthy and glow but in fact a tan is actually the melanin in your skin coming to skin’s rescue trying to prevent more damage. A tan is your body’s defence mechanism. Is it possible to move away from tanning being the ideal way to look good? I’m a girl, a girl with fair skin who isn’t able to tan very well. I understand a tan makes you look good, makes clothes look better and hides away some imperfections. But i’m also a girl who doesn’t want skin cancer or to age prematurely – who wants wrinkles or leather skin?? There are so many good products out there for fake self tanning and the option to get a spray tan. Yes I see the array of oompa loompas roaming around with streaks and missing tan patches, but hey practise makes perfect right? And in absolutely no circumstance use a solarium to get a tan, there is nothing healthy or safe about it.  Practise and perfect your fake self tanning or have someone do it for you, give your skin a rest and protect it.