Summer Sunburn?

Posted by Dr. Jen on July 29, 2009

With the temperature predicted to go as high as 110 degrees or more in Oregon today, I thought a blog on sunburn would be timely.  I experienced a significant sunburn myself a couple of weeks ago while prepping to paint the south side of a house, so I know what I am going to recommend to you works.  Many of the same recommendations apply to other types of burns–see my upcoming post on burns in general.

The first thing that should happen, once you realize you’ve been overexposed to the sun, is a cold shower–as cold as you can stand it, for as long as you can stand it.  Wrapping the area in wet sheets and keeping them as icy cold as you can tolerate is also helpful.

Next, generously apply white or apple cider vinegar to all affected areas.  This will sting slightly, but it will do wonders for preventing blistering, pain and peeling.  Apply the vinegar at least a couple of times in the first hour.  Witch hazel (without alcohol) applications will also be helpful.

Follow the application of vinegar with a generous application of essential oil of lavender.  Purchase a bottle to have it on hand.  Lavender is great for a number of things.  A small bottle will be inexpensive and will last for a very long time.

After applying essential oil of lavender once or twice, apply a good quality vitamin E ointment and gently cover the burned areas.  Repeat this every 1-4 hours to hasten healing and prevent scarring in the case of severe burns.  It will also be helpful to take vitamin E internally–800 to 1600 per day.  Vitamin A, 25,000 IU per day (10K if pregnant) for 2 weeks will be helpful for severe burns; it will help speed up tissue repair.  Up to 1 gram (1,000 mg) of vitamin C per hour should also be taken for all types of burns.

The gel contained inside the leaves of the aloe plant is also a well known remedy for burns.  I typically use this when the burned area is small.  While bottled aloe gel is available, I find it less effective–the fresh plant works the very best (see my blog on burns).  Chlorophyll ointment is excellent for small burns too.  For more extensive burns, I use the protocol above.

If you can find comfrey leaves, steep them in water or boil comfrey root and apply it (cooled!) to the burn as a continuous compress, keeping the cloth constantly moist.  You can also add a non-alcohol based comfrey root extract to other salves, compresses or with honey. Calendula salve with St Johnswort oil applied topically will act as a painkiller and healing agent for burns.  A 15% tea tree oil preparation would also be a good choice to apply over affected areas.

Honey is a great remedy for burns too.  Manuka honey would be an excellent choice for this.  You can mix the honey with herbs (comfrey, marshmallow, calendula, etc., or even the essential oil of lavender).  Apply it directly to the burned area and cover it with a light gauze. Did you know that honey has natural antiseptic/antibiotic properties?  It was commonly used for wound healing in the past.

I speculate (though am not absolutely certain) that blue agave syrup (being a cactus like aloe) might serve the same purpose as honey for topical applications–it is a little thinner and a bit less sticky.  I haven’t put this particular theory to the test, so let me know if you try it and it works.

If you’ve suffered skin damage from the sun, past or present, be sure to keep a sharp eye out for unusual lesions that could be skin cancer.  And be aware that melanoma can occur anywhere on the body, not just on sun exposed areas.  A physician once told me a harrowing story about having discovered he had a testicular melanoma after hearing a lecture on it in medical school.  Another person discovered a melanoma lesion on the sole of his foot.  My friend Jerry, the seafarin’ boat lover, recently found it necessary to have a cancerous lesion cut out of his face.

I’ve seen suspect lesions on clients and I always tell them to have them checked as soon as possible.  Familiarize yourself with photos of skin cancer. Remember to use sunscreen!!

Tags: Burns, Sunburn

6 Comments »

1. 

   Thanks for the tips. Do you have a recommended sunscreen?

   Comment by Gareth — July 29, 2009 @ 1:32 pm

2. 

   I’d recommend Blue Lizard Sunscreen because it is fragrance free and should work for even chemically sensitive individuals.

   Comment by Dr. Jen — July 29, 2009 @ 1:43 pm

3. 

   What a pleasure it has been for the last two weeks in the Heartland….just 30 miles west of St. Louis in O’Fallon, Missouri. I appreciate the sunburn advice but with 80 degree high’s and 60’s at night we are enjoying this wonderful break from the typical midwest heat. I will pass you site on to my Florida family. Thanks Dr. Casey!

   Comment by Jim Frain — August 1, 2009 @ 7:37 pm

4. 

   Damp tea bags are good for burn sites, too, and since you had to brew the tea, a tasty way to sit still and rest while they work. If you have a big burn, make a tea bath. It doesn’t have to be fancy tea – cheap Red Rose or Lipton has all the tannic acid needed.

   I did not realize comfrey was good for burns, too. I have a big plant (needn’t have worried about it last winter) and wondered what else to do with it.

   I’m liking the healthy options blog – glad you started it!

   Comment by Peggy — August 4, 2009 @ 9:08 pm

5. 

   Yes, I’m aware of the damp tea bag treatment–and it is the tannic acid in tea that makes that work. However, tea does stain clothing, drip on carpets & bedding & such. That’s the reason I chose to mention using vinegar, which is acetic acid. It has the same effect without having to mess around with tea bags and staining potential. The skin has a natural “protective acid mantle.” I believe this is why acid treatments tend to help heal skin problems.

   Comfrey is a wonderful healer for many things. It’s had bit of a bad rap for internal use in recent years, though people have successfully used it internally for ages as a tea of the leaf or root or leaf. You’re lucky to have a plant. Comfrey makes a wonderful poultice.

   Glad you like the blog. I’ll try to be better about writing more frequently.

   Comment by Dr. Jen — August 5, 2009 @ 10:24 am

6. 

   Here’s a real good one. I used a product that I got in Hawaii. It is called… get this… Maui Aui. It has Aloe, Caledula for the skin and white willow for the pain and st. john’s wort for the itch. It’s great through the hurting,itching pealing phases and I think it made me heal faster. It sure made things feel better. It wasn’t very expensive, $8 or $9 if remember correctly and it was WELL worth it. There was no phone number on it but the company name says Nature’s Rite. This stuff is like Natural Solarcaine. with aloe and skin regenerator. It’s really cool.

   Comment by steve — December 9, 2009 @ 1:40 pm

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