Sunburn? What really helps instantly

The best tip when it comes to sunburn? Avoid it!

Which body parts are especially vulnerable

Unfortunately, you can get sunburn anywhere on your body, but there are a few areas which are especially exposed to UV radiation. This is partly due to their unprotected position, and partly due to sensitive areas of skin.

“Sun traps” – body parts in need of particular protection

The body’s so-called “sun traps” include the face, especially the bridge of the nose, the lips, the eye area, the forehead and the cheeks. The skin on your face is exposed to the sun without protection every day. In addition, the skin on your face is much thinner and therefore much more sensitive. For that reason, it requires an especially high level of sun protection. On holiday, make sure you use sun cream developed especially for sensitive skin, and for everyday life, use a day cream with a sun protection factor. Areas which get sunburn quickly include the upper chest area, the neck, the top of the foot, the shoulders, the ears and the scalp. In addition to sun cream or sun lotion with a high sun protection factor, your clothing is the best way to protect yourself from dangerous UV radiation.

Don’t forget to cover your head!

When you’re in direct sunlight, it’s best to cover your head. This is especially important for children.

Emergency tips for sunburn

After sun

Too much sun – emergency first-aid

When you’ve had too much sun, the key is to cool down, drink a lot and, of course, get in the shade straight away.Sunbathing causes your body to lose a great deal of water. This fluid loss needs to be balanced out as quickly as possible. So drink a lot, preferably water. As soon as you notice that you’ve had too much sun, you should get out of the sun immediately, take a lukewarm shower and then relax for a bit. It’s best to cool down slight skin redness with an after sun product from NIVEA. Instead of a rich cream, it’s essential that you use a moisturising after sun lotion which is easy to apply and soothes the skin.

Note: if you are suffering from severe sunburn, blistering, nausea and/or pain, you should consult a doctor!

How can you support your skin’s regeneration?

Sunburn is usually a first-degree burn; only very rarely do second-degree burns occur. Whether it’s severe or not: the number of times children suffer from sunburn when they are young is closely connected to skin cancer during adulthood. They should therefore avoid sunburn completely. Support your skin’s regeneration with after sun products. Moisturising products contain natural ingredients such as aloe vera, soothe the skin and help regeneration. Avoid the sun for a few days until the skin redness, and therefore the sunburn, has faded away.

First aid from nature

For effective cooling and protection from inflammation, try using cold compresses made of linen or cotton cloths soaked in water.  

They have a cooling and anti-inflammatory effect. Wet packs soaked in plant oils or green tea also provide rapid cooling for sunburn: add a few drops of marigold or camomile essence to the cold compresses. It’s also important to cool the affected skin areas for at least one or two hours and protect them from the sun the next day. It can takeup to a weekfor sunburn to subside completely.

Soothing camomile essence

A cold compress with camomile essence can soothe the skin in the affected areas.

The parts we tend to miss

When applying sunscreen, it’s easy to focus on the kids and forget about certain parts of our own bodies. We often struggle with the hard to reach areas like the back or forget parts of your body like the top of your feet, but family and friends can be a great help.