How to Survive a Severe Sunburn

Now that summer is getting closer, more AHN students are traveling to beaches trying to get a glowing tan, but instead they become covered in a red and itchy sunburn. Sunburns are caused when the skin can no longer produce melanin to protect the skin from UV rays. The skin becomes red, and if it is a deep burn, then in about a week it will peel. 

Dorothy Pickard (‘20) says, “When I was little, I got a sunburn, and I thought there was tape on my skin, but it was actually just my skin peeling off.”

In order to avoid a sunburn, wear sunscreen that is SPF 30 or higher. There are also several alternatives besides wearing sunscreen:

Sunscreen Pills

These pills are often used along with sunscreen because they are not strong enough to block all the effects of the sun. The pills provide vitamins, as well as help to ease the pain of a sunburn.

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Danielle Finster (’20) says, “I don’t see how sunscreen pills work because the sun hits your skin directly, and nothing is on your skin protecting it.”

Eat Vegetables

Vegetables, olive oil, and almonds help your body fight the sun’s harmful rays. Plants make antioxidants that repair and prevent damage.

Oatmeal Bath

Ground oatmeal works as an anti-inflammatory when added to bath water. Pour ground oatmeal into a warm bath and soak.

Honey

Honey is a sweet relief to a sunburn because it allows the skin to heal faster. It has been used to heal sunburns since the Egyptian age.

Aloe

Aloe is a natural remedy that moisturizes the skin, helping to soothe and stop the itching of a sunburn. If the aloe is put in the refrigerator for ten minutes, it will help the skin cool faster.

Angelina Gonzalez (‘20) says, “My friend, Ava Oliva, and I got really sunburned – even my lips were sunburned. I covered myself in aloe for the rest of the time I was at Anna Maria Island. It was horrible, but the aloe helped.”