Sunburn Treatment

Sunburn occurs when the skin is overexposed to the sun’s ultraviolet rays, exceeding the protection of melanin, the pigment that naturally protects skin.

Dr. Kelle Berggren, a dermatology specialist on the medical staff of Central DuPage Hospital, joins experts in recommending these 10 easy ways to avoid sunburn:

1. Use a reflective sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher, applying it 30 minutes before going into the sun and reapplying it every two hours or more often if perspiring, toweling off or swimming. Do not forget extra protection on your nose, the tops of your ears, the tops of your feet.

6. Don’t be fooled by relying on makeup with sunscreen as your only sun protection. “There’s not enough sunscreen in makeup, and the reality is most makeup is absorbed into the pores within two hours.

10 a.m. to 3 p.m. when the sun’s rays are strongest — and remember that sand and water (even snow) reflect UV radiation. Seek shade as often as possible.

10. Because some medications, especially antibiotics, increase sun sensitivity, review your medications as they relate to sun-sensitivity with your personal physician or skin specialist.A sunburn can lead to complications far more severe than its “ouchiness,” but the good news is that a sunburn is preventable.

Dr. Kelle Berggren, a dermatology specialist on the medical staff of Central DuPage Hospital, reminds that a sunscreen — she’s adamant that the sunscreen be reflective with at least a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 30 and prefers it also contain zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide — is “only a tool, and its effectiveness depends on how well you use it.”

Sunscreen is so important that Berggren, a member of the American Academy of Dermatology, insists that “people should not even be five minutes in the sun without it.”

Sunburn occurs when the skin is overexposed to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays, exceeding the protection of melanin, the pigment that naturally protects the skin from harmful rays and imparts skin color. Such overexposure is most common during late spring and early summer when the population finally can emerge from hibernation to return to sunning on the beaches, golfing, boating and watching White Sox and Cubs games outdoors.

Exposure of the skin to the sun’s rays can cause many skin problems, from a sunburn — which can include inflamed red skin, swelling of the legs, blisters, fever, nausea and even chills — to sun peeling, sun poisoning, and in the most extreme cases, with repeated exposure, melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer.

“Complications from sunburns — and what you expose your skin to, including tanning beds — can be serious, very serious,” said Berggren, who specializes in the treatment of all kinds of skin cancer, acne, eczema, hives, psoriasis and cosmetic procedures.

To avoid sunburns, Berggren recommends applying a reflective sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher 30 minutes before going into the sun, and reapplying it at least every two hours; wearing breathable clothing with an Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) preferably of 50-plus and a floppy hat; avoiding the sun from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. when the rays are strongest, and not being fooled by using only a self-tanner or makeup with sunscreen.

The mother of three (ages 5, 3 and 1) emphasizes the necessity of sun-protective clothing and sunscreen for children (“but never use a sunscreen before a baby is 6 months old”). “It’s especially important to reapply the sunscreen if the children are in water and toweling off,” Berggren said.

If you have a sunburn, Berggren said some old-fashioned remedies — such as applying aloe lotions or apple cider vinegar, applying a compress (a clean cloth soaked in a solution of water and baking soda or Epsom salts), or soaking for 10 minutes in a bathtub filled with water and 20 drops of lavender and/or chamomile oils — might provide cooling and temporary relief, but “the reality is, your skin will peel and you will have to wait for your body to heal.”

“If you are blistered, never, ever pop a blister. If more than 30 percent of your body is sunburned, essentially you are a burn victim and you need to go to a hospital emergency room. If you are suffering from a heat stroke, chilling or violently ill, you also should go,” Berggren said.

Berggren, who received her medical degree from Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical School in 2000, recommends screenings for skin cancer for patients age 40 and older, people with a family history of melanoma, people with newer lesions and people who work outdoors.

Emphasizing that the use of tanning beds increases the chance of melanoma, Berggren said she now sees 20- to 30-year-olds for skin cancer screenings. “Sadly, the majority are indoor tanning bed users,” she said.© 2011 Sun-Times Media, LLC.