Family Life Magazine

Sunburn First Aid
Family Life Solutions (Jeff chg section name from Family Life)
By Gail Erickson

We try so hard to protect our kids from the sun. Hats, visors, sunglasses, rasher shirts, not to mention the bottles, tubes, sprays and sticks of sunscreen purchased for the sole purpose of preventing sun damage. It isn’t inevitable, but it is likely your child will at some point this summer develop a sunburn. What is the best course of action? Treat your child’s symptoms and prevent further problems. It is also a great time to reiterate to your child the importance of all the precautions you take to avoid sunburn. Here are some helpful tips.

• Halt any further direct sun exposure until the sunburn is fully healed to avoid increased severity of the existing burn.

• Encourage your child to take a cool (not cold) bath to reduce the pain from the heat of the burn.

• Apply pure aloe vera to help heal and moisturize the skin.

• Give your child a pain reliever like acetaminophen or ibuprophen (not aspirin) and apply a topical “after sun” pain reliever like Solarcaine.

• If blisters develop or your child seems unusually uncomfortable, consult your doctor.

• Tell your child NOT to pick or peel the flaking skin as the “new” skin underneath can easily become infected.

Gail Erickson is a licensed Clinical Esthetician with an English degree from USF, Tampa. She works at Practically Frivolous, a full-service salon in St. Petersburg. Please direct any skin care questions to gail_erickson@yahoo.com