SoCalSoCute

Hi all,

I occasionally get sunburn and I usually just let it be so until it goes away by itself, when I used to tan at the beach.

Now I'm a lot busier and don't have that much time to go to the beach to get good enough tan, so I go to tanning salons.

How long should I take a break from tanning when I get a sunburn? Is it ok to tan while the sunburn is still there? Thanks much.

eileen

Don't tan until your sunburn is gone. :)

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under-exposure to uv rays is as dangerous as over-exposure...This is "D" life! (eileen)

CrystalSS

First of all.......don't burn! Burning should ALWAYS be avoided. Your tanning salon should be taking steps to ensure you practice safe tanning. Also, never tan when you are burnt as the skin needs to heal itself first. Tanning again with exacerbate already burnt skin. Use Aloe based products to help aide in the healing process. Discuss this event with your tanning salon as well so they are aware and act on it. If they don't help you start a proper and structured tanning program.....Find another salon! Best wishes and Tan smartly!

unity

If you do end up with a burn, even a slight one, take a shower IMMEDIATELY after the exposure. But not a regular shower. Get the temp where its comfortable and then turn it down just a notch until you adjust, once you are used to the lower temp, lower it again. About every minute you should adjust it. Keep doing this for at least twenty minutes. The idea is to pull all that heat out of the skin. Residual heat is what does the vast amount of damage. The colder you can tolerate the better. After this take aloe vera gel and apply over the affected area plus six inches away. Apply the gel frequently.

If the burn is severe seek medial attention of course. But like I said they key is to remove the heat to prevent blistering, peeling and reduce the damage.

I have clients do this. Some people, no matter how much you teach them and how nice a base they have, still will get a wicked burn way south. They do as above and rarely peel. In fact most can not tell they have a burn the next day.

Its a VERY obvious thing to do, use a long cold shower to remove heat. We do we do with a finger burn from cooking, put it under cold faucet water, right? Sunburn is not much different. I have been thanks a few times for "saving their vacation".

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“There is only so much logical space in our universe,” Binette said. “Think of it like a Chinese take-out box stuffed with Kung-Pao Shrimp. The more shrimp you stuff in, some shrimp pop out the bottom."

excusemesir

Great info Unity...I'll keep your "remedy" in mind for future use.