Sunburn

You paddled to the middle of the lake, cast a fishing line and promptly fell asleep. Two hours later, you could star in Invasion of the Lobster People from Outer Space.

Sunburns hurt, and the damage they inflict on your skin is long lasting and dangerous. The redness of a sunburn is caused by clogged and swollen capillaries that supply blood to the skin. Severe burns, caused by the ultraviolet rays in sunlight, can damage blood vessels and destroy elastic fibers in the skin, causing it to sag and wrinkle. Excessive sun exposure can also lead to skin cancer, the most common of all cancers.

Prevention is your best bet. Do outdoor activities before 10:00 a.m. or after 2:00 p.m., when the ultraviolet rays are less intense. And remember to wear a sunscreen with an SPF (sun protection factor) of 15 or higher. The natural remedies in this chapter, used with your doctor’s approval, may help soothe a sunburn, according to some health professionals.

Aromatherapy

A cool aromatic bath is a wonderful way to soothe sunburned skin, says Greenwich, Connecticut, aromatherapist Judith Jackson, author of Scentual Touch: A Personal Guide to Aromatherapy. Add 20 drops each of lavender and chamomile essential oils to a tubful of cool water and soak for ten minutes, suggests Jackson.

For information on preparing and administering essential oils, including cautions about their use, see page 19. For information on purchasing essential oils, refer to the resource list on page 633.

Food Therapy

The fat content of milk is soothing, so milk makes a great compress for sunburn pain, says John F. Romano, M.D., clinical assistant professor of dermatology at New York Hospital–Cornell Medical Center in New York City. His instructions: Dip some gauze in whole milk and apply it to sunburned areas for about 20 minutes, repeating this process every two to four hours. Be sure to wash off the milk to avoid having your skin smell sour.

For healing, eat more foods rich in vitamin C, which speeds the healing process for burns, says Julian Whitaker, M.D., founder and president of the Whitaker Wellness Center in Newport Beach, California. (For food sources of vitamin C, see “Getting What You Need” on page 142.)

Herbal Therapy

Keep an aloe vera plant in your house, and when you have a sunburn, break open a leaf and apply the clear gel inside directly to your tender skin, says Tori Hudson, N.D., a naturopathic physician and professor at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon. Apply as often as needed for relief, says Dr. Hudson. Or for convenience, she says to use the aloe vera sunburn products available in most drugstores and health food stores. Just be sure that the product you’re buying contains more aloe vera gel than water, she says.

Homeopathy

For a mild sunburn, put 20 drops of Calendula tincture in four ounces of water and bathe the skin with it until the pain goes away, says Mitchell Fleisher, M.D., a family practice physician and homeopath in Colleen, Virginia. If the skin is itchy, prickly and stinging, Dr. Fleisher suggests using a mixture of 20 drops of Urtica urens tincture and four ounces of water to bathe the skin. He says you can also take a 6C or 12C dose of Calendula or Urtica urens every two to three hours as needed. If the skin is swollen and bothered by heat and feels better with an application of cold, he says to try taking a 12C or 30C dose of Apis every two to three hours.

All of these remedies are available in many health food stores. To purchase the remedies by mail, refer to the resource list on page 637.

Hydrotherapy

A baking soda bath is great for soothing a sunburn, according to Agatha Thrash, M.D., a medical pathologist and co-founder and co-director of Uchee Pines Institute, a natural healing center in Seale, Alabama. Add one cup of baking soda to a tub filled with lukewarm (94° to 98°F) water and soak for 30 minutes to an hour, using a cup to pour the water over any part of the body that isn’t submerged in the bath. Pat dry.

Vitamin and Mineral Therapy

After a sunburn, taking these supplements for a few days can speed healing, says Julian Whitaker, M.D., founder and president of the Whitaker Wellness Center in Newport Beach, California: 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C, 400 international units of vitamin E and 15 milligrams (25,000 international units) of beta-carotene. “It’s also a good idea to get more essential fatty acids, such as those in flaxseed oil,” suggests Dr. Whitaker. Take one to two tablespoons of the liquid form, he says, or follow the manufacturer’s label for the suggested dose if you are taking capsules (about three capsules equals one teaspoon of the liquid). Flaxseed oil is available in most health food stores.

See also Burns