Got a sunburn....

Nurses General Nursing

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My chest and shoulders got burned.

I know, duh!

Dose anyone have a good concoction to prevent the inevitable peeling?

I use chilled aloe gel with lidocaine (ahhhhhhhhh), but is there something better?

Anyone ever hear of Milk of Mag for a sunburn? It was the only "remedy" allowed for use on the mentally challenged/developmentally disabled folks that lived at the state institution that I worked at. Still seems strange to me:uhoh3: !!!!

My husband recently got a sunburn. He kept tons of lotion on because he was afraid he would peel. He didn't but maybe he wouldn't have anyway, I'm not sure. It's worth a try. What kind of sunscreen was you wearing, just curious?

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I have heard of MOM for sunburn, yes!!!

Personally I found what sjt971 said to work best.

No way to stop the peeling. The skin is damaged badly and will have to peel to allow complete healing. Sorry, you will look like a snake for a bit there. I always hated that!!!!

(gentle hugs)

Specializes in Critical Care/ICU.

Oh my goodness! Noxema! Haven't thought of that. I can just smell me now, but it's got to be better than vinegar!!! :chuckle

Thanks for all the replies. This was two days ago and I'm still beet red in spots. I don't recall the brand of sunblock, but it was sport 30+. I was on a lake though jet and water skiing. The stuff was suppossed to be water-proof and I re-applied it twice. I'm not on any meds.

So off to the store. Noxema and aloe it is. I'll also look for dermaid (never heard of it).

Thanks again, and let me just pass on that I really think that the lidocaine in the aloe gel is amazing. For as bad as this burn looks, I have no pain with it.

p.s. Gatorade is a staple in my family, plenty hydrated am I!

Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

I use vitamin E oil. It helps with the pain and reduces the peeling. If it really hurts I put it on before bed and in the morning the soreness is pretty well gone.:)

Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

Jar of Noxema from the fridge.

When my brother got bad sunburn last summer, I bought him a spray from CVS, "soothe-a-caine" ( I think it was made by Banana Boat) It worked pretty well.

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Dermaplast works wonders, too! (lidocaine spray we use in OB).

Along, with all the other topical advice. Be sure to get plenty of water and take some Antioxidants (especially C) to help with healing and free radical damage to the damaged tissue.

Specializes in ER.

Lotion with aloe for the peeling..will probably still peel but not as bad...for pain, noxema and my grandma's old standby...witch hazel...smelly but feels sssooooo good on a sunburn...plus then you don't have to worry about the noxema getting all over your clothes...

What do you recommend for blisters? My daughter got fried a few weeks ago (I guess I wasn't reapplying the sunscreen often enough. :o ) and ended up with a few quarter sized blisters. We put aloe and lidocaine on her and the eventually healed with no problem. I was just wondering if Noxzema would be a big no-no in a situation like hers was.

I remember as a kid my mom always put Noxzema on me. That stuff worked GOOD! I don't know why I always forget about it now that I'm older.

Specializes in ER.

I remember when I was 10 I was at the beach for about 6 hours, I got a 2nd degree sun burn on my entire back...It was all blistered, very painful...She put noxema all over my back, it helped the pain tremendously...I survived okay...not sure if its okay to use, but it worked for me.

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