Sunburn: what to do if burned
Whether you’re on the seaside, on hot days in the city, or on weekend picnics, your skin needs extra attention in summer. For people with the first and second skin phototypes, a sunscreen with a high degree of protection is a must-have product for every summer day. At the same time, people who are accustomed to sunbathing often neglect protective equipment and receive sunburn of varying degrees. Add in the risks of getting scratched or cut on the hike, or being bitten by mosquitoes at a picnic, and you know that your first aid kit should have an all-in-one skin protection product.
So, returning from the beach or from a walk, you feel unwell, and the exposed areas of the skin are reddened and sore. You have suffered a sunburn.
What to do?
- The first thing to do is go into the shade, indoors – hide from the sun.
- Then you need to cool the skin – apply a cool compress with green tea or plain clean water on the inflamed areas. It is important that the temperature contrast is not strong.
- Apply a moisturizing ointment with panthenol to the skin – it will relieve pain and help the skin recover faster.
What not to do?
- Never wash burnt areas with soap – the soap will remove the top layer of the epidermis, leaving inflamed skin unprotected.
- Do not use sunscreen oil on your skin – it is not a burn cure!
- Do not use lidocaine, petrolatum or benzocaine ointments or creams.
If you have a fever, pain and dizziness, dry mouth and vomiting – see your doctor right away. These symptoms indicate a severe burn.
Cuts and abrasions in nature: what every tourist should know
Nobody is immune from cuts, scratches and abrasions during outdoor recreation. And it is in nature that it is important to timely and correctly treat skin damage in order to prevent inflammation and infection of the wound.
Abrasion is mechanical damage to the upper layers of the skin. With an abrasion, blood may come out, with capillary bleeding, treatment with hydrogen peroxide will help. If the abrasion is deep and bleeding, you need to apply a special ointment and cover it with a pressure bandage.
It is enough to rinse a small cut with clean (preferably boiled) water, treat it with an antiseptic and stick an adhesive plaster and a protective bandage. Treat only the edges of the wound with iodine.
Open abrasions and cuts heal faster, but outdoors you run the risk of introducing dirt and bacteria into the wound, so a clean bandage is a must.
If the cut is more than 2 cm long, the wound is deep, and its edges are parted, you will have to see a doctor and put stitches.
Insect bites: when to worry
Single bites are painful, but not a serious health threat, unless you are allergic-prone . Especially watch out for bites on the face, lips, neck, as they can cause severe pain and very severe swelling. If an insect sting remains in the wound, it must be carefully removed and the wound treated with a water-alcohol solution or an antiseptic.
Attach a special cooling bag or, if possible, ice to the bite site. The cold will relieve pain and, due to vasoconstriction, prevent the further spread of the allergen and toxins from the focus to other areas.
An antiseptic cream will help relieve inflammation, itching and redness at the site of the bite, and protect against the spread of infection.
Is there a universal skin protection product?
A remedy for different types of skin damage does not just exist, it is available and should be in every family medicine cabinet.
Arnizin skin cream by Amrita with D-panthenol, supercritical extracts of calendula and sea buckthorn and lavender essential oil:
- accelerates the regeneration of skin cells and the healing process;
- has anti-inflammatory and bactericidal action;
- relieves pain;
- reduces redness and itching at the site of injury;
- prevents the development of secondary infection.
Arnisin skin cream will help with sunburn, shallow cuts and abrasions, and insect bites.