hardcore sunburn advice?

[jteef]

So friday afternoon we were out in the boat/lake for about 8 hours. I had my shirt off most of the time. used SPF 15 sunscreen on my face and shoulders, but just some SPF 4 tanning oil on the rest of my torso. My upper back got burned pretty bad and starting yesterday it started itching. and when I say itching, i mean it feels like there are thousands of black flies covering every square inch of my back and all biting at the same time until i scratch it. then the process repeats about 3 seconds later. When we got back to the house i used some hawaiian tropic after sun aloe vera lotion which has "converted" sunburns into tans for me in the past. and the next morning some aloe vera gel. The sunburn itself doesn't bother me at all and there aren't any blisters or anything, but the itching associated with it is driving me insane.

for relief i've been taking cool showers every time this starts up. (usually about every 2-3 hours) but i've been wondering about more effective solutions. my mother told me to use vinegar...i haven't done this yet. I tried some gold bond powder and it was moderately effective, but looking for other ideas.

so has this ever happened to you? what did you do?

jt

 

[vi edit]

Try finding some aloe with lidacain. It'll help numb your skill and relieve the ichyness.

Also, be sure to drink lots of water.

 

[Fausto]

Vinegar?:Q Wouldn't recommend that one.

I don't know what to tell you if the aloe vera gel isn't working. Maybe an over-the-counter antihistamine to cut down on the inflammation and itching?

 

[Spooner]

you might as well brillo-pad off the first couple of layers of skin... it'll save you in the end

 

[777php]

You should really look into getting something with SPF 30 or higher.

 

[Draco]

Fill up your bathtub with gravy and lay in it... it's fantastic!

 

[Jzero]

Well, it's easy to play monday morning quarterback, but next time keep your shirt on, or at the very least, get better sunblock.
Things to consider:

-Most sunblocks don't last more than ~80 minutes, and even waterproof sunblocks need to be reapplied. Some are better than others. I've been using Bullfrog exclusively for the last 2 years. It actually delivers on being truly waterproof and providing all-day protection. I usually put it on when I get to the beach around 11AM and by the time I leave at 6PM I've spent 6 hours on the beach, around half that time in the surf, and the only spot I EVER get burned is on my upper arms where presumably my rash guard's sleeves must rub off the sunblock as I paddle.

-Tanning oil is NOT waterproof. I don't know what kind of activities you were up to on the water, but tanning oil needs to be reapplied often, and it doesn't take much exposure to get it off. Even a little bit of spray will slow it down and you'll need to reapply it. And, like most sunblocks, it doesn't do much after an hour or so, and you need to put more on. My gf used SPF 8 tanning oil all last week, reapplying it every hour or after hitting the water and she didn't get burned at all.

-Titanium Dioxide is your friend. My mom's dermatologist says it's the most effective ingredient. Avoid sunblocks without it. Zinc Oxide is also pretty decent. Most sprays, including Bullfrog, do NOT include either compound. I don't know why Bullfrog works so well, but it does so I just shut up and spray.

-Wear a shirt. The best way to prevent sunburn is to not expose your skin to the sun at all. When I was younger I could go without wearing a shirt, but as I got older and started wearing wet suits and rash guards, I find that my back and chest seem much more sensitive to the sun than my arms and legs. I'll go out for awhile swimming with no shirt on, and I practically bathe in sunblock, but as soon as I get back in and dried off, I either put more on or put my shirt back on. Machismo is useless against melanoma. When I went to Cancun with some college buddies, the first day I was the "uncool" one for staying covered up wherever I could. The next day, I was the smart one as everyone stayed in bed all day nursing their sunburn.

I'll say it again:
Machismo is useless against melanoma. You don't want to get skin cancer, so be more careful.

As for what to do now? Wait. THere's not much you can do aside from allow your body to heal. The Aloe w/ lidocaine will help speed the process and dull the pain. Solarcaine (has lidocaine in it) is good, too.

 

[CraigRT]

Does't the aloe help with the itching too? it should cool it down and help relieve the itchiness.

have you tried still applying aloe since the sunburn converted to a tan?

 

[Darein]

Just what everyone else said. I take some pain pills, aloe, and when it acts up a wet wash cloth, with maybe some ice.

 

[Snuffaluffaguss]

There is stuff called AfterSun Lotion, its normally next to the aloe, its better than aloe.

 

[Chaotic42]

I've gotten probably 10 2nd degree sunburns
One 3rd degree

Many regular. Use some good, old fashioned aloe. I took aspirin for the pain everytime.

Good luck.

 

[schdaddy]

Aloe is your friend - try to get REAL aloe plant extract and not the green jelly stuff @ walmart/kmart etc
my grandmother sprayed me all over with vinegar one time.
lets just say the 1st few secs were nice a cool, then all the sudden my flesh felt like it was frying bacon!
i then ran through the house screaming like a little girl until the burning went away... i have no idea if it made anything better i was just thinkful that vinegar burn was over


Jzero

I don't know why Bullfrog works so well, but it does so I just shut up and spray.

[

same here, bullfrog has saved my @ss from cooking on long days out in the sun

 

[Sundog]

and when I say itching, i mean it feels like there are thousands of black flies covering every square inch of my back and all biting at the same time until i scratch it. then the process repeats about 3 seconds later

I had the exactly the same thing happen to me, except any moisterizers (even 99.9% aloe vera) aggrivated the problem. I would take my shirt off and rub up and down on a brick wall. It hurt so bad I asked my wife to take a serated knife and run it up and down my back (which she did not).

Here is what works: Benadryl Allergy

Get the pills fast.....it works wonders!!

 

[Sundog]

DASM!:Q Double post!

 

[d33pt]

i heard shaving cream but i haven't tried it... worth a try tho..

 

[TopGun]

3rd degree sunburn eh? Is that even possible?

I had some pretty bad burns a couple weeks ago, both my shoulders blistered over really badly, I was flaking off skin for days, it looked awful. I just didn't touch it, let it heal on it's own. Don't scratch the skin off, it'll just hurt. Take some asprin if the pain is really bad.

 

[Squisher]

Go to a doctor he'll give you a script for silver sulfadiazone(sp?). Better than over the counter. I work in a shop where we heat steel to 2250 F to form it, burns are part of the job. I always have some in my lunch box.

 

[jteef]

well spit on carsound.com

i had a followup typed up ready to be posted until carsound.com hijacked this window with some ad for a bass cd :/

anyways, i tried a bunch of stuff today including some hawaiian tropic aloe aftersun "forever tan" lotion, some banana boat aloe vera spray gel, vinegar, solarcaine, lanacaine, gold bond extra strength medicated body powder(the green bottle). A combination of gold bond reapplied every hour or two with a good dose of tylenol gave me the best results. not full relief, but i made it through today without going crazy. I want to try the benadryl so if its still bothering me tomorrow, i'll go pick some up.

whats the story on this bullfrog stuff? I dont think i've seen it at our walmart (although they've got an entire aisle dedicated to sun stuff so i might have missed it) where can i get it?

thanks for all the advice!

jt

 

[Miramonti]

Originally posted by: Chaotic42
I've gotten probably 10 2nd degree sunburns One 3rd degree Many regular. Use some good, old fashioned aloe. I took aspirin for the pain everytime. Good luck.

And soon you'll be taking chemotherapy. :Q