NJ State Fair / Sunburn question

[nessonite1]

What a day...
We were out this morning and made an unplanned trip to the NJ Stae Fair which opened this weekend in Sussex. Since it was unplanned nobody had any sunscreen on. It was a gorgeous day today though which is good as whenever we go up there it's typical NJ August weather. Hot, muggy, thunder showers, etc. Today was hot (though only 82) but dry, with a breeze. Very nice.
Sunny as hell though. Not a cloud in the sky. We were there for about 9 HOURS and for some reason I'm the only one who ended up with a sunburn.
Not on my arms so much (which is odd) but my face and a triangle on my chest is PINK.
I put lotion on it when I got home to keep it from drying out and peeling but beyond that I'm not sure what I can do. I havent had a sunburn since I was a kid and we never did anything to them but wait them out.
I am really hoping this lotion (vasaline intensive care) doesn't cause me to break out. The skin on my face is prone to acne if I don't keep it super-clean, use a certain shampoo, etc. I've never put lotion on my face and I'm afraid it'll have oil or something that my skin won't like.

So does anyone have anything they can suggest to treat a sunburn, especially if it's something gentle to sesitve skin? Thanks!

 

[Ignatz]

Moisturizing cream is better than vaseline, which contains petroleum. My mother uses Vitamin E cream on my nieces. You can also take ibuprofen for the pain.

 

[Dussicar]

Moisturizing cream is better than vaseline, which contains petroleum. My mother uses Vitamin E cream on my nieces. You can also take ibuprofen for the pain.

I've done the vitamin E thing in the past. I does seem to help. But, the ibuprofen thing, I never heard of. I think I'll have to try that next time I get burned as bad as I did a couple of weeks ago.

 

[Goodieluver]

Heh i just let it work its course

I was at ozzfest a week ago from 8 am till 10 at night, sunscreen protected my face enuff but the top of my head got scorched

worst shower after ever!

 

[ShadowTklr]

Hi Nessonite. Two things I can suggest to you. First is to take cooked, cooled tea bags and place them on the skin. This will absorb the heat and relieve the pain. Next is to use Aloe. Hope those help.

 

[wendyandpeter]

Ness, If the burn is bad and it seems like something that's going to last into your week, here's what I recommend:

Run out to the store and pick up a bottle of white vinegar, a bottle of 100% aloe vera gel (if it's clear and green, you're on the right track), and a small tube of SPF 30 sunblock. When you get home, put the aloe gel in the fridge, and the sunblock in your purse (so you never get caught without again!)

Soak a soft cloth with the vinegar and gently blot the burn. Try a small area first just to make sure everything's OK, but chances are 99.99999999999% that it will take the sting right out. The vinegar will neutralize the burn (chemistry 101 🙂. If your shoulders and back are really burned, consider soaking an old, soft t-shirt in vinegar and wearing it for a while. Of course, you'll smell like vinegar, but it's a good trade-off if you're in pain. Take a couple ibuprophen tabs and relax or take a nap. Apply the aloe gel after showers (cool showers only, for a few days).

Hope that helps --

Pete

 

[Ignatz]

Pete's right about vinegar. I remember now, a doctor used it to treat my kid brother when he got seriously sunburnt twenty or twenty-five years ago.

 

[CellarDweller]

Hi Nessonite. Two things I can suggest to you. First is to take cooked, cooled tea bags and place them on the skin. This will absorb the heat and relieve the pain. Next is to use Aloe. Hope those help.

He is right....Aloe is the way to go. You can get "gel aloe" in a cvs or drug store. Very good for sunburns. I had one a few years ago, it was so bad, the skin on my ears started to crack and bleed. The aloe cleared it up quickly.

If you can't find that, you could buy an actual aloe plant, break the stalk off near the base, and squeeze the pure aloe out and onto the skin.

 

[nessonite1]

Thanks all!! I will try the vinegar thing...Ive never heard of that.
I don't really mind the smell of vinegar...I actually find it pleasant if it's not too strong. Brings back fond memories of working in a photo darkroom where the chemicals smell an awful lot like vinegar.
Tomorrow I'll go out and buy an aloe stalk as well.
I found some baby lotion yesterday so I've been using that instead of the vaseline lotion. I figure if it's meant for babies it should be gentle and not cause a breakout. Hopefully.
Thanks again!!

 

[steph]

Oh Nessie! LOL!
Well, as ya can tell by my name I spend a lot of time in the sun. The first time I went to Hawaii to see family, I learned a trick from the islanders. I see someone else mentioned it to you already. A few folks have already suggested 100%aloe vera gel. To maximize the results, store it it THE FRIDGE!
Feel better soon hon. Remember to slather on TONS of moisturizer for several days after so you won't peel...
XOXO

 

[Camel26]

I don't get burnt often, but when I do, I get REALLY burnt...and I LOVE aloe gel...and I'm poor, so I happened upon some generic CVS formula that is blue and has not only Aloe to cool and moisturize, but it also has menthol to cool your skin, and lidocaine to help kill the pain...it's WONDERFUL...it tingles a little, too...which is nice after being so burnt...

Ibuprofen is a good move as well to help with the sting of it all...never heard of the vinegar bit, but thanks for that advice!!! I'll try it next time I get burnt!!!!

And Ness, as your Jewish Mother, WEAR SUNSCREEN!!!!!!!!!! Oy...I worry...😉

 

[HOLLYWOOD]

ness: the hollywood brother has suffered many jersey burns in the past and the hollywood brother found the noxema seems to work pretty good

 

[coloman]

You have had the benefit of a lot of good advise and you have selected the best of it. Good for you Ness, it's also very important to relieve the heat that goes along with a sunburn as quickly as possible because that takes a lot of the pain out of the burn right away. As already stated vinagar does the trick and a washcloth soaked in ice water which you ring out and then apply gently to your face or other sunburned body parts works well to. After all the heat is out of the burn you can then use a good moisturizing lotion to prevent your skin from drying out and peeling. Sounds like you were lucky that you didn't have any sun blisters which would have accompanied a extremely bad sunburn so it could have been worse than it was too. I learned my lesson well when I got so sunburned I had second degree burns on my back and almost ended up in the hospital so I have been very careful ever since when I am out in the Sun.

 

[Janus4385]

Well Ness, I hope you are better, and you've got some really good advise on that already, the Aloe is a very good thing to use, taking ibuprofen(advil) should ease the pain fairly enough, and as ignatz said, stay away from products containing petroleum(also products containing benzocaine and lidocaine)... now, as a pharmacist, I can recommend a couple of things that you might want to use if it is a serious sunburn, one would be NEOBOL(not really sure if this one is available in the US) and the other TROFODERMIN, they are basically neomycin sprays, if you come to use them, be SURE you are not allergic to neomycin(I think you need a prescription to get these things anyway, so talk to your doctor or pharmacist)... Hopefully you won't need to use those, but if you start to bleed and crack like cellardweller, you might want to check them out... if you have any doubts feel free to ask...

PS: I'd advise you to let the skin peel off...

 

[Janus4385]

The vinegar is also very good, and if you are lucky, it will even get you a nice tan...