Sun Burn

The number of people calling into our health store with sunburn after the last warm spell of weather was amazing. We Irish love the sun but our skins are not used to all that sunshine, whenever we get it! Sunlight is essential to all life on this planet; we would not last long without it. Yes it can harm us if we are not careful. Ultraviolet (UV) rays activate the synthesis of Vitamin D in the skin and can heal many skin conditions like Psoriasis. Yet too much sun can damage the skin and causes the skin to age permanently, getting that wrinkly, leathery look. In the long term, it can cause skin cancer. Always check any mole that changes in size, colour or starts to bleed with your doctor.

Sunburn is like any other type of burn, except that it usually covers a larger area and will not become obvious until several hours later. The effects of Sunburn are usually felt at night, when the skin starts to burn painfully. If blistering occurs, this marks a second-degree burn, in which case the sunlight has caused actual burn to the skin. If you get headaches, restlessness, fatigue and sleeplessness, then you may have sunstroke – a condition that makes one feel very nauseous – you need to drink lots of water and take salts to ease these symptoms.

To avoid burning and skin ageing you need to boost your skins antioxidant defences with a good cream rich in Vitamins A, C, E and beta-carotene to enable it to cope with the sunny days.

The key to preserving the skins moisture level and firmness is Vitamin A, a potent stimulator of factors, which moisturize the skin. You can apply Vitamin A topically. Vitamin A works best in conjunction with skin saving antioxidants like Vitamin C, E and beta-carotene. These nutrients act as shields, soaking up the damage caused by free-radicals from ultraviolet light and pollution. Vitamin C, E and beta-carotene also help to reduce sunburn, so our need for them increases substantially during the summertime.

The essential fatty acids found in Flax seed oil and in Fish oils are excellent to restore skin elasticity. The skin will burn less when these oils are in our diet. Always drink plenty of water when the weather is fine. We don’t realize the amount of water that is being evaporated from our skin when the sun shines. It is very easy to become dehydrated and then the skin losses its moisture making it more likely to burn.

There are many natural sun blocks available today in health food stores. These natural sun blocks contain plant extracts, which will not only protect the skin, but also nourish the skin. They need to be applied at regular intervals to ensure maximum protection.

After care is very important when sunbathing, Aloe Vera gel is an excellent product to cool and sooth the skin after sunbathing. Aloe Vera can also be used before sunbathing to protect the skin. Aloe Vera gel is the best product I know to stop the skin burning and it will usually also stop skin peeling even after getting burned. If you get burned also take plenty of Vitamin C to aid healing.

So what you need for skin protection is a good Vitamin skin cream with sun block factors 15-40 and Aloe Vera gel for after care for your skin.

David Foley

MRCHM, MNIMH

Medical Herbalist