HOW TO TREAT A SUNBURN

Dawn Boyle

If you live in the Northeast it's like someone turned the switch and all of the sudden it's summer! As we kick off the unofficial start of summer this weekend, my milky white skin will be exposed for 3-4 solid days of sun. No matter what number sunblock I use (I use 50), I am destined to get burned this weekend. If you know me or are a reader here at DRL, you may have read my story about my daughter and our melanoma scare a few weeks ago. While searching for information for my daughter, I came across information about treating a sunburn that I want to pass on to all of you.

Of course the best way to avoid a sunburn is to not be outside during the day from like 10 til 4, but since that is highly unlikely here is what may help you if you get a little pink this weekend or at anytime during the next few months!

• Keep it cool. Apply cold compresses — such as a towel dampened with cool water — to the affected skin. Or take a cool bath.
• Keep it moist. Apply aloe or moisturizing cream to the affected skin. Avoid products containing alcohol, which can further dry out skin. Beware of sunburn treatment products containing anesthetics, such as Benzocaine. There's little evidence that these products are effective. In some cases, they may even irritate the skin. Benzocaine has been linked to a rare but serious, sometimes deadly, condition that decreases the amount of oxygen that the blood can carry. Don't use benzocaine in children younger than age 2 without supervision from a health care professional, as this age group has been the most affected. If you're an adult, never use more than the recommended dose of benzocaine and consider talking with your doctor.
• Leave blisters intact. If blisters form, don't break them. You'll only slow the healing process and increase the risk of infection. If needed, lightly cover blisters with gauze.
• Take an over-the-counter pain reliever. If needed, take anti-inflammatory medication — such as aspirin or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) — according to the label instructions until redness and soreness subside. Don't give children or teenagers aspirin. It may cause Reye's syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal disease.
• Treat peeling skin gently. Within a few days, the affected area may begin to peel. This is simply your body's way of getting rid of the top layer of damaged skin. While your skin is peeling, continue to use moisturizing cream.

Consult a doctor for sunburn treatment if:

• Severe sunburn covers a large portion of your body with blisters
• Sunburn is accompanied by a high fever or severe pain
• Severe sunburn doesn't begin to improve within a few days

My story about my daughter and Melanoma
http://delayedreactionlounge.blogspot.com/2011/05/may-is-melanomaskin-cancer-detection.html

MAY IS MELANOMA/SKIN CANCER DETECTION AND PREVENTION MONTH - THESE ARE ALL THE REASONS WHY I KNOW!

Dawn Boyle

I had originally set this post in drafts last week. My friend Tara had a video on her facebook wall, it was a number of people talking to their 16 year old self after the risks of skin cancer. It moved me.

My oldest daughter was born with a small chocolate chip sized birthmark on the inside of her upper arm. I never thought about it. She shows everyone, she even seems proud of it. On Monday, that little chocolate chip sent my world in a tailspin. I took her to her pediatrician to have something looked at. I mentioned that I had made an appointment for Sarah to see a dermatologist in early June. Let me flashback for a second, about a month ago I was in the ER with the same kid and a foot injury. We were at the hospital all night, even made friends with two little old ladies and their niece. One of the little old ladies was a retired nurse. She noticed Sarah's Chocolate chip and told me to have that checked out immediately. I blew it off. It all flooded back when the pediatrician wanted me to immediately go to Lake Success, New York to have a specialist take a look at that chocolate chip and have it biopsied. My heart sank. Why didn't I listen to that little old lady over a month ago? The video from Tara played over and over in my head. What a horrible mother I am. Why am I such a slacker? What the hell is wrong with me that I never had a dermatologist look at this before, she is going on 10 years old!!

With a knot in my throat I took my little girl in to the next doctor. He went over her with a fine tooth comb. He did measurements and took pictures of every mole on this kids body. He documented as Sarah and I told him of different times she was over exposed to the sun, once when she was on the beach in early spring, once down by the boat she got heat stroke, and then recently on our family trip. I patiently waited for the opportunity to ask him about the necessity for a biopsy. He asked her about sunblock, Sarah admitted that she wasn't a fan of her mother covering her with 50+ every hour on the hour during the summer. It all came down to this one moment. No, he didn't say it needed a biopsy. THANK GOD! The blood rushed back through the rest of my body. The guilt was over - I wasn't that bad of a mother.