Dealing With Sunburn After Tanning

Everyone loves a good tan. The tanning industry receives billions of dollars annually simply from people trying to acquire dark, tan skin throughout the summer – and that does not include those that seek their tans outdoors using the free rays of the sun.

But trying to get a tan is tricky. Too little UV exposure and you are unlikely to tan much at all. Too much and you are very likely to receive a painful burn. It is the latter that happens to most people across the country, as tanners tend to push their limits and stay in the sun or tanning booth far longer than their skin allows.

Sunburns can be painful, itchy, and irritating. Sunburns can even take all of the benefits out of receiving a tan, as your skin punishes you for allowing yourself to get so sun damaged. Below are some helpful ways to soothe your skin after a serious burn and provide yourself with less overall physical discomfort.

Ways to Soothe Your Skin

1.      Take Ibuprofen

Never underestimate the power of good medicine. One of the problems with your skin after a sunburn is that you receive a great deal of skin inflammation. This causes much of the pain and itching. Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory medicine, so it will help reduce much of the pain and discomfort you are experiencing from the inflammation.

2.      Moisturize Regularly

When your skin is burning, it is losing a lot of moisture. That moisture loss is going to lead to some of the skin peeling and itching. Keep your skin moisturized as best you can with a gentle moisturizer. This should reduce much of the pain and discomfort you experience from your dry skin.

3.      Be Gentle to Your Skin

It is tempting to exfoliate, scrub hard, or peel off the dry skin. All of these should be avoided. Your skin is far too fragile at this point for removing skin layers to be beneficial. The best thing you can do for your skin is leave it alone and continue to moisturize, hoping that the skin will receive enough moisture to not peel too much.

4.      Eat Skin-Healthy

It is also a good idea to eat foods and drink liquids that are beneficial to your skin. Foods and teas high in antioxidants are a good example of things that will help stimulate skin health, which will ultimately improve the life of your skin and reduce the effects of burning.

5.      Protect Your Skin

It is always a good idea to protect your skin every day after you have burned. No good can come from receiving extra sun until the sunburn has completely melted away. Protect your skin every day in order to ensure that you do not receive any further damage. Only after every aspect of the sunburn has gone, including your peeling skin, should you consider receiving any sun again.

Be Gentle

You cannot rush your skin back into good health. Allow your sunburn to subside completely, and you should experience less discomfort quickly. Only then should you go out in the sun once again.

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