Our doctors have succeeded in raising awareness about the harmful effects of sun overexposure; many people today are aware of skin cancer and other harmful effects of the sun such as pigmentation and premature aging. While we have stepped up our game in protecting our skin, sometimes the accidental sunburn still happens. Here’s how to manage them. IMMEDIATELY AFTER – Soothe Your Stinging Skin. 1. Cool Compress After the accident, apply a cold, damp towel to the area quickly for 10 – 15 minutes. This helps remove some heat from the burnt skin. Take a cool shower or bath and moisturize immediately after. 2. Moisturize But Don’t Trap Heat Peeling is probably inevitable, because your body will now work to get rid of damaged cells that are at risk of becoming cancerous. Programmed cell death, a signaling mechanism in the body which leads to suicide of damaged skin cells occurs. In other words, your body sheds dead skin cells damaged by the sun as a form of protection. Continue Reading
