Sunburn

Overview

Discover more about simple sunburn relief, severe sunburn treatment, and the long term effects of sunburn.

Sometimes a day at the beach can turn painful if you find yourself with a sunburn. Sunburns can cause a painful short-term burning sensation that can potentially progress into something much more severe. Persistent, prolonged exposure to the ultraviolet rays produced by the sun and even tanning beds can increase your risk of skin cancer.

Dr. Joel Schlessinger, a board-certified dermatologist at Schlessinger MD in Omaha, can assess your skin care concerns and provide sunburn treatment options for mild to severe cases. He has the medical background to look at all aspects of this condition and work for solutions that will result in sunburn relief.

He is also skilled in assessing all types of skin cancers and suspicious moles and other danger signs that sunburn may have turned into more serious skin issues.

Signs of sunburn

You may not feel the full effects of sunburn immediately. Slight sunburn may be seen as red skin that feels warm and tender. More severe symptoms can be blisters that develop and skin peeling over the next day or two.

Sunburns can range from a slight tender feeling to an unbearable burning sensation on contact. A severe sunburn can give you a fever or chills and a rash called sun poisoning.

Keep your skin protected with sunscreen

Preventing sunburn is as simple as covering up, staying out of the sun’s harmful rays, and using sunscreen. The job of sunscreen is to protect your skin when you choose to be outdoors in every season, not just summer. Using sunscreen also protects you from the harmful effects of sun rays that can lead to wrinkles and other signs of aging. There are a few factors that you should keep in mind when choosing sunscreen. You should make sure that your sunscreen is:

• Water-resistant
• Provides broad-spectrum protection
• SPF 30 or above

Treating mild sunburns

Simple home treatment for sunburns includes aloe vera and the FixMySkin 1% hydrocortisone healing balm, a patented product that Dr. Schlessinger and his son, Dr. Daniel Schlessinger developed. You can also take aspirin or Advil (ibuprofen) immediately after you know you are going to burn to lessen the inflammation caused by the sunburn (do not give aspirin to children). There is a medication called Heliocare that helps to avoid sunburn if taken prior to sun exposure as well.

How to treat severe sunburns

In the case of a severe sunburn, you may want to be seen in the emergency room for severe sunburn treatment if you have a fever or chills, rapid breathing, no thirst or extreme thirst, are not urinating, if the pain is severe, if your eyes are sensitive to light, or if your blisters are painful and possibly infected. These signs are serious and concerning and need to be evaluated promptly.

Although there are no great ways to reverse the long-term effects of sunburn damage, Dr. Schlessinger may need to see you in his clinic in Omaha, Nebraska to treat the burn if your sunburn is moderate to severe. Various products on LovelySkin.com for sunburn treatment can be used in conjunction with the medications Dr. Schlessinger may prescribe at the time of your visit.