On overexposure to the sun, the harmful ultraviolet radiation causes the skin to get sunburned. In this article we will learn how to treat peeling skin from sunburn, and find tips and home remedies to take care of this condition.
Peeling sunburned skin can occur due to both direct or indirect influence of the sun. It means you can get affected if you stay out for a prolonged period of time on a cloudy day too. You can also get it as a result of reflection of the sunlight from water, snow, or sand. It may lead to an eruption of blisters with liquid filled inside them. They can appear within an hour or a day after the exposure to the sun.
It is accompanied by other symptoms like swelling, itching, pain, and reddening of the skin. In extreme cases, fever, chills, upset stomach, headache, and nausea may be observed. Severe cases are not just painful, but also cause harm to the skin. If these blisters recur frequently, it can lead to some other problems including wrinkles, brown spots, skin cancer, etc.
Treating Peeling Skin from Sunburn
Usually, the healing time can vary between a few days to a few weeks, depending on the severity of the case. Till then proper care is essential. Here we have given a few steps you need to take for that purpose:
- Never try to break the blisters by popping them. When they get broken naturally, try to keep the area clean to prevent infection.
- When the blisters start peeling, you may feel tempted to remove the peeling skin. It is advised not to do so and let the dead skin fall off on its own.
- Once the skin gets detached, apply antiseptic cream to the newly revealed underlying skin to keep the risk of any infection at bay.
- Take good care of the affected area while taking a bath. Do not use soap on the area as it can aggravate the itching and irritation of the skin. When shower water falls on the peeling skin, it could be painful and hence it should be avoided.
- Do not step out in the sun unless and until you get rid of the all the blisters.
Home Remedies
There are various home remedies that work best for the purpose of treating peeling skin from sunburn. Here we have listed some of them for you:
Baking Soda: Make a thick paste of baking soda and cold water and apply it over the sunburn. You can also add a few tablespoons of baking soda in your bath water and pour it over the peeling skin while bathing. Baking soda is considered as one of the best home remedies for sunburned skin because it can relieve the burning sensation very quickly.
Tomato Juice: Tomato juice is good for relieving the irriation and can be used on them the skin in many different ways. You can mash a tomato and mix it up with some crushed ice and apply it gently over the affected area. Another way of using tomato juice is to mix it with buttermilk. Take about 4 tbsp of buttermilk and add 2 tsp of tomato juice in it. Then apply it on the affected skin and leave it untouched for half an hour. After that, rinse it off with cold water.
Aloe Vera: Fresh juice of aloe vera is recommended for peeling sunburned skin. The juice forms a protective layer and holds the moisture within the skin. This hydrating effect facilitates fast healing. For this, you can use a slice of a fleshy leaf from the aloe vera plant, extract the juice out of it and apply it directly over the peeling skin. Or else, buy aloe vera gel from the local pharmacy and use it instead.
Apple Cider Vinegar: Prepare a mixture of ice-cold water and apple cider vinegar and dip a towel or a piece of cloth in it and apply with a light hand over the sunburned skin. This cold compression soothes the burning sensation by absorbing the heat from the skin and heals up the blisters fast. It also controls the dryness of the skin and decreases the peeling.
If you have a tendency to get sunburns very easily, you should take proper preventive measures to protect yourself from getting peeling sunburn skin. You must cover yourself well with clothes, shoes, and a hat before you go out in the sun. Apply a thick layer of sunscreen lotion with SPF 15 or more on all the exposed parts of your body. Most importantly, try not to go out in the sun in the afternoon time when the damaging effect is maximum.
Disclaimer: This article is for informative purposes only, and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.