SUNBURN....
 

What is the best way to sooth a BAD sunburn? Is there anything I can do besides lotions?

Aspirin and Vaseline. Stay away from Aloe products because although they do provide immediate relief, they draw the moister out of the skin and it will eventually crack causing further pain and damage.

Vaseline will work? Not the lotion but the jelly? Thank you!!!! I will try this now!

Vaseline will keep the moister in and help prevent the skin from cracking.

Use the jelly. As a kid I got a very bad sunburn and this is what my dermatologist told me to do.

Take it from a Redhead, all I do is burn, but now I am so careful with sunblock.

Here are a few tips. A cool bath or cold water to take the sting out of the burn. Milk will also help.

I would NOT do vaseline, because it is so difficult to remove. You have a first degree burn, so do what you would do for that level of burn, cold water, advil and sunburn spray to relieve the pain.

Good luck.

I am also a red head and the Vasoline trick has saved me and many friends from some bad sunburns. It works. You will heal much quicker. If the burn is on a large area it can get messy but trust me, it will work. It will save you from getting covered in those pussy little sores that develope after a bad sunburn. Most sunburn sprays contain some aloe so all they will do is make you feel better at first but then the skin will crack.

If you have already started getting those open, pussy sores you will also want to put a thin layed of some antibiotic ointment on to avoid infection.

Vaseline.

Doesn't Vaseline hold the heat in making it more painful?

Thought some of you would be interested in this none too subtle comment from a medical website about treating sunburns:
"DO NOT PLACE OIL BASED PRODUCTS ON BURNS!! The old wives' tale about placing butter on the burn can actually do more damage. The oil based products, including Vaseline petrolatum, can cause the pores of your skin to clog and keep the burn from 'breathing', thus creating infection".

I burn very badly - I have freckly skin and auburn hair. I am vigilant at applying sunblock (SPF 45 mostly). OK I dont get a tan but I don't suffer pain and agony either. I used to use calomine lotion when I was younger and not so careful. I personally would not use oily products.

Vaseline lets the heat out but keeps the moister in. There is much info about this. Obviously people have different points of view but I got my info straight from a Doc and I suggest you do the same. I have used Vaseline for years anytime I have burned and I have never had an infection or problems.

Vaseline does not clog pores. If you don't believe me, look for yourself on a jar or do some research under white petrolium.

As an ICU nurse and experienced ER nurse, we would NEVER suggest Vaseline. Cool or tepid compresses, Advil or like products and antibiotic ointment if the blisters have opened. There may be information that I am not aware of so I can't speak to other's sources.

I checked with WebMd and it suggested aloe or hydrocortisone for swelling. Drink lots of fluid and take aspirin, tylenol or advil. Also said chamomile and cool black tea showed good results.

Remember SuzieQ that half of all doctors graduated in the bottom half of their respective classes.

There are hundreds of resources on the internet which offer guidelines for sunburn treatment. I've looked over many of them.
Not a one recommends Vaseline.
Many recommend avoiding it.
Most follow the American Academy of Dermatology recommendations:
1) take a cool (not cold) bath, or gently apply cool, wet compresses to the skin.
2) take a pain reliever such as aspirin (children and teenagers should never be given aspirin because of the danger of Reye syndrome), acetaminophen, or ibuprofen.
3)rehydrate (add moisture to) the skin and help reduce swelling and drying, apply topical moisturizing cream, aloe, calamine, or 1 percent hydrocortisone cream.
4) do not break open blisters (increases risk of infection)
5)stay in the shade until the sunburn is healed.
Go to e-medicine.com (a site which is edited by a friend of mine) and you'll find a long summary on sunburns and their management which also states "Ointments or butter do not help a mild-to-moderate sunburn and may be painful to wash off".

First, do a google search for sunburn treatment and perhaps talk to a pharmacist.

You will find the following:

use cool, wet compresses during the first 48hrs. Do not use ice. Addition of baking soda to the water can be helpful.

no oil based lotions - including Vaseline in any form-during first 48hrs.

take cool (not cold) oatmeal baths (Aveeno)

use Aloe, which supplies moisture and soothes pain, during first 48hrs.

take oral painkillers, but stop using as soon as possible

seek medical attention if fever, fluid-filled blisters, dizziness or visual disturbances are present.

Last, but not least, use sunscreen the next time.

I checked with my medical reference book and it said not to use petroleum jelly or any other oil. Ditto for what Barbara said on the tepid bath with baking soda or oatmeal, cool compresses. Don't break blisters and don't use any lotion with benzocaine or diphenhydramine. Dress in cool, lightweight clothes. ;-(

Being a fair skinned blonde, and having lived in Hawaii and Los Angeles, I have been know to get a sunburn.
Never did I use Vaseline.
A soothing tepid bath in Aveeno or oatmeal or just plain water will take out some of the heat.
Advil is good.
I like the new products that are cooling gels, usually Aloe, to keep down the peeling.
Best advice, always wear sunblock and never put yourself in the position of needing sunburn relief:)
Good luck~

I too did a Google search on First Aid for sunburn and found the same info as threehearts, Myrna,Traveis,Barbara and Buckeyemom gave. No one recommended Vaseline and many state to avoid products that contain benzocaine, and avoid the use of Vaseline. SuzieQ, you said that "as a little girl...etc", that might of been the concept at the time, but medicine practices change.

The doctor may be in the bottom half, but that is relative. I think even the last man out knows more than most of the home remedy specialists who comment here.

As one guy I know said, even the poorest coach knows more than 99% of the smartest, most dedicated fans.

Besides, just what ranking system to medical schools use to rate their graduates?

It is like trying to rate graduates from an MBA program. No way can there be an authoritative rank ordering that is absolutely perfect. Such judgments are opinion based, imperfect, and less than totally comprehensive. Besides the smartest ones may have dropped out to become rich ala a man named Gates who now has a few dollars to his credit.

There is a local MD where I live who is reputed to be "tops in his class".
OK. So he is an idiot savant who, when I saw him, put the xray in the viewer upside down and told me I had cancer.
Top guns like that I don't need.
When I pointed out to him that the bones looked funny, he turned it around and decided I had something else.
He is the same joker who gave another patient huge steroid doses for a torn left lateral minuscus that an orthopedic intern later diagnosed by looking at it.

Maybe Cd. But I also did a search and saw many sites that did recommend it after the first few days of a burn. All I know is, it always worked for me and I still swear by it (but I haven't been sunburned in years) and so do my friends. Many of them who tan easily also claim it helps hold a tan a little longer than without it.

What about vinegar and plain yogurt? I dont know if they work, but those are two I'd always heard of.

I tried yogart once and it seemed to work but I couldn't stand the smell!

Hi

In Florida we keep an aloe plant in most of our gardens because when you open up a leaf a natural Aloe is exposed and when you put this on a burn it takes the pain right out of it.

It works much, much better than the aloe in a bottle and dermatologists have agreed that it has healing effects.

I also had a good friend who was a doctor and every night he coated his face with Vaseline before going to bed. Never did see any improvement!

Buckeyemom,
I wasn't trying to give out outdated, harmful advice and I don't think I did. Sorry to have upset you. I wasn't trying to start anything. As far as being obsessive, I didn't think I was. Sorry again you took it the wrong way.

As the mother of a redhead who doesn't realize he is fried until he is white vinegar and Motrin do the trick. The white vinegar, used in a compress, takes the heat out, and yes it stinks but no one really cares when the pain is better. There are also some sunburn remedies on the market that contain Lidocaine, a topical pain killer. Our favorite is Sun Lovers which also contains mosturizers and vitamins to help restore the damaged skin.

Uses for Vaseline:
1-greasing up the pigs before they run loose.(of course, you have to be down on the farm for this one)
2-Preventing windburn...although friends have tried this and say their faces break out from the grease.
3-If you can't afford to buy the kids skates, put a little Vaseline on their feet and let them slide around the house.

any more?

I always like to keep a bottle of aloe in the fridge, I rarely burn, but the cooling of aloe always makes the burn feel less harsh---even if it is temporary relief--at least it is some relief!

As the mom of one redhead, I have tried all of the above remedies plus others, and the one we find best is real, fresh aloe -- the bottled stuff just doesn't compare, even the products that are 99 percent aloe. Must be something in the fresh leaves that does the trick.

My daughter came home with burnt shoulders earlier this week after leaving the house in a tank top and sweater on a day that suddenly got very warm. She was red with white shoulder straps! Since Prom was Friday night, this was a true test. Well, we put on the aloe and next morning there wasn't a trace of the burn. As LN described, we just break off a leaf, cut off the tip, slice it lengthwise, and rub the leaf on the burn. Let it dry and apply another layer!

Keep in mind that painkillers and lotions are dealing with symptoms and making you more comfortable, but don't really do anything to promote healing.