Sunburn From a Tanning Bed

Burns on the surface of the skin caused by an overdose of ultraviolet radiation received during tanning is also known as sunburn tanning. Bed induced burns may result in appearance of wrinkles, brown spots and skin cancer too.

Such sunburns cause inflammation of the skin and liquid filled blisters are formed all over the body. Usually, these blisters appear within an hour or so. Then the skin turns red and starts itching. In serious cases of sunburn, one may get symptoms like chills and fever, headaches, nausea, etc. It is not only a painful condition but can cause extensive damage to the skin in the long run.

How to Treat Sunburn from a Tanning Bed

The main aim of the treatment is to get rid of the pain and inflammation and prevent any kind of infections. The two main steps in this regard are as follows:

Care: When you have sunburn blisters, do not pop them with fingers. Let them break naturally. Do not try to remove the peeling skin of the burn. When the dead skin has detached, keep the area clean to protect the skin from infections. However, do not use soap as it will aggravate itching. Apply generous amount of antiseptic cream on them to keep infections in check. Wash your hands thoroughly before touching the blisters for application of any medicine on them.

Medication: If you are experiencing a lot of pain due to the sunburns, you can take over-the-counter pain relieving medicines. Topical application of hydrocortisone cream can ease off the discomfort to a great extent. Once the pain subsides and is peeling off, calamine lotion should be used. It will help to get rid of those dead skin cells that have not fallen off. During this phase, the skin tends to become extremely itchy and application of calamine lotion brings down the itching sensation.

Home Remedies for Sunburn

Sunburn caused by tanning bed can be treated at home only. Here are some effective ways of treating such burns:

Cold Bath: When you have sunburn caused by tanning bed, the first thing that you want to do is to reduce the soreness. The best way to achieve that is by immersing your body in a tub of cold water. It brings down the skin inflammation and has a soothing effect on the burning sensation. For faster healing, you can add some oatmeal flakes or vinegar to the bath water. This will prevent drying of the skin and thus there will be less peeling.

Cold Compressions: Mix equal quantities of cold milk and cold water. Soak a cotton ball into the mixture, squeeze out the excess liquid and apply it over the sunburned areas for 15-20 minutes. Do it several times in a day. You should replace the solution and the cotton pads after every few hours.

Aloe Vera: Aloe vera has excellent natural healing properties. Fresh juice of aloe vera when applied on the sunburn will provide a protective covering to the skin surface that will hold the moisture inside. Such kind of hydrating effect facilitates faster recovery from sunburns. You can also use aloe vera gel that are available in the local pharmacy.

You should drink lots of fluid to prevent dehydration of the body. If you notice symptoms like fever, nausea and headache, then you must consult your doctor. For the time being, stay away from tanning beds completely. Let the sunburn heal properly and get rid of the peeling skin first, then you should go for tanning again. Exposure to ultraviolet radiation on the healing burn can aggravate the pain further.