Cold water, ice pack, milk, cucumber, baking soda, potato, aloe vera, yogurt, tomato, honey and green tea are some of the home remedies for sunburns in teens.
Summers can sometimes be terrible, isn’t it? Though sun is a great source of vitamin d, over exposure to sunlight can at times be fatal. The uv rays emanated from the sun can cause sunburns and damage the skin badly. Research proves getting badly sunburnt just five times as a teenager increases the risk of developing skin cancer by 80%.
Sunburn does not take a long time to happen. For the teenagers, it may even happen within fifteen minutes of playing under the sun. Therefore, it is essential for them to know how to protect themselves and cut down the risk of skin cancer.
Sunburns in Teens: 11 Natural Home Remedies
Here are 11 natural remedies for treating sunburns in teenagers.
Cold water
Running cold water over the affected areas can provide instant relief to the skin. It is advised to take a cold shower for 10-15 minutes. The skin should be towel dried and shouldn’t be scrubbed.
Ice pack
Ice packs or ice compress can be an effective treatment for sunburn. It helps to absorb the heat. Direct ice cubes should not be applied on the blisters as it causes frostbite. Instead ice cubes should be wrapped in a handkerchief or towel and applied steadily.
Milk
The fat and protein present in milk provides a soothing effect on the burns. Cow’s milk is the best treatment against sunburn. It eases the pain and helps in exfoliation of damaged skin. The applied milk should be cool but not cold.
Cucumber
Cool cucumber perfectly blended into a paste is a perfect treatment for sunburn. It can also be sliced into pieces and applied on burnt areas. Cucumber has high water content that seeps into the skin and provides a cooling sensation. It also has antioxidant and analgesic properties that heal and rejuvenate the scorched skin.
Baking soda
Baking soda due to its alkaline nature helps in providing a cooling effect on the sunburn. It can be an efficient solution to reduce itching and inflammation. It has got antiseptic property that fosters healing of the parched skin faster. It can be applied in two ways. One of them is to make a thick paste of baking soda and water. This paste can be applied directly to the affected areas for instant relief. Other way is to take a baking soda bath. The bathtub can be filled with cool water and a cup of baking soda can be added to it. Allowing the body to relax in this bathtub containing baking soda helps the skin to feel better.
Potato
Potatoes are extremely beneficial for healing sunburns. Applying potato slices to the affected regions of the skin can produce incredible results. It not only soothes the skin but also absorbs the heat from the skin. Potato paste can also be applied on the skin. They can be mashed up and grated well to form a thick pulp which can be further applied.
Aloe vera
Aloe vera, widely known as “wonder plant” is considered to be the elixir of life. It has been so popular for its amazing therapeutic properties. A study in the year 2009 found that aloe vera healed second-degree burns three days faster than those undergoing conventional burn treatments with silver sulphadiazine. It has a moisturizing effect on the skin that eases discomfort caused by sunburns. Aloe vera gel contains glycoprotein that speeds up the healing process. It accelerates the growth and repair of the sunburnt skin and thus helps in quick recovery. The fresh gel can be extracted from the aloe vera plant by slitting open a broad leaf of the plant. This can be applied directly on the affected area.
Yogurt
Spreading a generous amount of cold, plain and unflavored yogurt on the burnt skin and letting it settle for some time helps in replenishing the skin. The probiotics and enzymes present in yogurt help to heal sunburn naturally. It increases moisture content on upper level of the skin and restores its ph balance.
Tomato
Tomatoes get their red color from the natural pigment known as lycopene. It is this pigment that gives tomato the ability to protect the skin from sunburn. Tomato puree of a frozen tomato when applied on the burn alleviates tingling and burning sensation. It reduces the redness and inflammation of skin as well. Eating tomatoes can improve the skin’s ability to protect itself from harmful uv rays of the sun.
Honey
Honey is an impeccable remedy for almost all kinds of skin diseases and other health ailments. Raw honey is not only good for health when consumed internally, but also helps in treatment of ailments like sunburn when applied externally. It acts as a relief to sunburn due to its antibacterial properties. It is a natural antiseptic and antibiotic agent that has a soothing effect on the inflamed skin. It helps to reestablish the lost moisture of the skin.
Green tea
Studies suggest that green tea can help prevent sunburn and skin cancer due to the presence of antioxidant compounds in it. The tea bags can be soaked and the solution can be applied on the burns with the help of cotton. The tannic acid helps in restoring ph balance and absorbing heat from the skin. Green tea reduces swelling and enhances healing. It can be mixed with mint tea for extra cooling effects on the skin. Similarly, black tea bags can also be used for treatment of sunburns.
There are numerous other natural remedies as well for treating sunburns like oatmeal bath, vinegar, lavender oil, milk etc. These remedies have minimal side effects. Furthermore, sunburn implies a dehydrated body. Thus it is advised to drink plenty of water to replenish the skin. Along with that any of these remedies can be followed for instant relief from the itching sunburns. We all have heard the saying “prevention is better than cure”. This summer, it is time to act upon it.
