After Sun Care

[satin chic]

Aloe vera really does work wonders. If you ever go to Fuerteventura, you should really stock up on aloe vera gel or essence there since it's much cheaper.
Fenistil gel is great for cooling and against that unpleasant itching, too.

 

[katherine]

I went tanning yesterday at Central Park with a bunch of friends and right when we left I felt disgusting and horrible. My eyesight got really blurry and I thought I was going to throw up right in the train station. I'm red as a lobster and am still feeling nausea, how do I get rid of this? I had no idea a burn can make you feel sick on the inside, too.

 

[seanutbutter]

I'd recommend visiting a doctor if you still feel nausea, as the symptoms you listed are often signs of a severe sunburn. If you can't get to a doctor soon, drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration.

MyDr.com.au has a guide with symptoms and advice for severe sunburns. Here's an excerpt:

Severe sunburn may cause very red, blistered skin but will be accompanied by fever, chills, nausea (in some cases vomiting) and dehydration.

See your doctor:
- If the sunburn is widespread and severe;
- If the sunburn affects an infant under the age of 18 months;
- If the sunburn blisters are accompanied by chills, fever, nausea or vomiting. Medical attention is needed to prevent dehydration and infection;
- If your eyes are extremely painful or feel gritty. You will need to have your eyes checked by an ophthalmologist (an eye doctor) to determine any damage to the eyes. Corneas are particularly susceptible.

You might try researching sun poisoning (photodermatitis), as that is a possibility also.

 

[katherine]

Thank you for that! Thankfully it's not making me nausea anymore but it still hurts. Hopefully aloe vera will do the trick.

 

[MulletProof]

Reviving this because 1% of my body is in trouble.

A couple weeks ago I went to some pyramids located in an area with high levels of ozone (everyone from the region with light skin have A LOT of freckles all over their chest and back), I wore lots of sunblock and grabbed a loose cardi.. I was also wearing a tank underneath so a bit of my shoulder was showing (and I didn't use sunblock on my shoulder!), I'm being so descriptive because right on that part of the shoulder (looks like a triangle) I got really sunburnt!.. I live near the desert so I'm more or less used to going up a couple shades over the summer and the usual marks on my legs/feet thanks to sandals but I have never really seen burns like the one I have on my shoulder, it was orange-y at first, days later it peeled off, then it went really dark, and now it's dark orange but it has this dark color like when your fingers get in contact with fire and it's been like that for more than a week now and it doesn't look like it's fading at all.. I moisturise with aloe vera a couple times a day everyday.. should I see a doctor?.

Also since that trip, I've been stuck in a 110-degree oven (aka. the desert) so now I have marks all over my feet (it gets so creative when you rotate two pairs of strappy sandals!) and my tanned arms are now showing white dots (this mostly happens to people with olive-dark complexion).

Last year I was complaining on the skin of my feet (didn't compare at all with the marks I've grabbed this summer!) and a woman told me to combine vinegar (which I've also read in the previous page of this thread) with lemon and something else I can't remember and she said 'as you put it on, you'll see how all the burnt skin will fall off magically, but you need to cover up for several days'.. I found that a little scary (reason why I didn't even memorise the recipe), I don't mind a good tan , but now I'm wondering if it's a good idea to try it just to get rid of all the marks? does anyone have a better option? they're not cute marks, my feet look really weird .

Sorry for the long post.

 

[lelaid]

as someone who has had some experience in sunburns i found a few things that take away the sunburn in a few days

-cold showers (as cold as you can possibly go)
-baby oil on skin while its still wet (to keep the skin from drying out and peeling)
-lots of water
-vitamin e pills (i usually take three or four a day when i have a sunburn)
-aloe gel on top of the baby oil and reapply whenever i think about it (like 4-5 times a day)

 

[The_Ida]

The white dots are areas on your skin where the melanin producing cells have, well, died. It happens to everyone as far as I know, I have them too. There's nothing you can do about it (wearing a sweater is pretty much out of the question ) except not exposing your skin to the sun.

I think you just need to cover up that 1% of your body. You can always put a band-aid on? It sounds like a burn-mark, litereally, and you need to cover it up for it not to form a scar. It takes forever for it to fade, though...

 

[MulletProof]

Good, I figured it was something related to olive/darker skin only, cause those of us with olive skin in my family get them but my sister, my Japanese and blond cousins (all very fair skinned) don't get them at all. Silly deduction, I know.

Thanks for the tips, lelaid. I will definitely go back to cold showers, I was really obsessed with the adrenaline rush a couple years ago (see the cold shower thread!) so I won't mind going back to them for a good reason.

 

[The_Ida]

I have them too, most of the time I'm just too pale for anyone to notice

 

[The_Ida]

I've used the Lancaster Tan Optimizer, it's an after sun lotion...it actually works! My tan fades so quickly, but I used this on my legs and they are now two tones darker than the rest of my body It's not a self tan, apparently it just makes you tan faster or keeps it from fading. It's quite soothing too, I wouldn't use it on burned skin as it's scented.

perfumezilla.com

Does anyone know a cheaper alternative?

 

[Miwi]

I like to use something light, something that spreads easily, leaving a non-sticky feel on the skin (that's why pure aloe vera is not an option), but still nourishing and moisturising.

I like to use Bepanthol Ultra Protect Body Lotion

bakimmarket.com

but this summer's favourite must be L'Occitane Mint Verbena Body Ice Gel.

loccitane.co.uk

I think Hawaiian Tropic has also some nice after sun products.