We’ve all been there; you get carried away on your first day at the beach, spend too much time in the sun and end up a delightful shade of red before your holiday has even begun. The next thing you know you have to spend the rest of the trip covered up in your beach kaftan.
Sunburn is painful and, worse, dangerous for our health so it’s best to avoid it entirely by always wearing sun cream and staying inside (or covering up) during the midday hours. If you have succumbed to the dreaded lobster tan though, here are some of our favourite rescue remedies.
Relieve pain the foodie way
Besides the risk to our health, one of the worst things about sunburn are the sleepless nights caused by tender and painful skin. Luckily there are some pretty tasty ways you can find relief. The starchy carbohydrates in potatoes have been used as pain relief for sunburn throughout history and will soothe the skin if applied in slices or as a paste. Similarly the cooling properties of cucumber are great for calming hot and sore skin. If you want to actually eat your way better, the likes of pomegranate and tomatoes also contain ellagic acid and lycopene respectively, both of which have been proven to help repair the damage caused by sunburn.
Relieve pain the pharmacist way
Of course if the pain of sunburn is really stopping you from sleeping, your best bet is to look to ibuprofen or aspirin straight away. Not only will this relieve the discomfort of sunburn, it will also prevent swelling and inflammation in your skin.
Rehydrate
If you’re burnt, there’s a good chance you’ll be dehydrated too which can tighten the skin even more and give you a headache on top of the pain you’re already feeling. Drink loads and loads of water to combat dehydration and make sure you don’t get ill. Hydrate from the outside too by making sure you moisturise immediately and regularly after you’ve been burned. A good moisturiser will soothe and hydrate burnt skin as well as going some way to preventing peeling.
Say ‘Allo to Aloe
If you are attempting to rehydrate, look out for the key ingredient Aloe Vera. This natural substance is well-known for its soothing properties and will relieve sunburn quickly as well as protecting against future damage.
Aftersun
Finally, apply a soothing after sun as this will help calm irritation and get your skin on the road to recovery in no time!
