Living and Loving : 5 natural ways to treat sunburn

Expert: Lamelle Medical Director - Dr Bradley Wagemaker

Bright sunny days at the pool, on the beach, in the garden, lapping up the South African rays may seem like the ideal way to spend a summer’s day but as the fiery sunset marks the end of another glorious day, we are often left facing the inevitable truth that we may have had a little too much. Aside from not applying good cover, currently available sunscreen – even broad-spectrum SPF that contains antioxidants – does not provide enough sun protection. South Africa has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, which is why sun protection is not only about keeping your skin looking young and beautiful; it’s about taking steps to prevent developing life-threatening diseases in the future.

It’s important to note that sunburn doesn’t by definition have to mean red raw, blistered peeling skin. The harmful nature of sun exposure can range from undetectable skin changes to tightness to red hot skin to the obvious painful sunburn with blistering and even sunstroke. Finding a remedy for sunburn extends to a wide range of possible skin needs. In choosing a remedy, it’s important to first understand what issues need to be corrected.

At the very heart of sunburn are altered cell functions. These “sunburn cells” are often on the brink of life or death. To fix their injury and avoid excess skin death - the body requires vast quantities of anti-oxidants and gene-repairing enzymes. The skin’s own antioxidant stores are very easily depleted after a brief 30 - 45 minute exposure, implying that pre-exposure anti-oxidant skin supplementation and sun protection is the perfect way to start a sunny day.

But what’s to be done if you have already been burnt?

Assuming that we are not dealing with heat or sunstroke, which require a totally different approach, there are a few fundamental basics that should be included in every skin first aid kit for the treatment of sunburn. Thankfully nature has some wonderful solutions to which we can refer:

Tea tree oil is probably the oldest and most well-used effective natural remedy, very often used to treat thermal injuries. Tea tree gels can reduce redness, pain, and possibly even cell injury. Other plant-derived options include a fantastic super antioxidant - an extract called Pycnogenol - that has been studied extensively for skin protection and health. A reduction in cell death and possibly even cancerous conversion has been clearly proven. It destroys the harmful free radicals that are produced by sunlight and decrease the number of enzymes that directly cause thinning and sagging of the skin.

On top of this, it decreases the damaging and aging inflammation in the skin, while actively stopping the effects of aging on the skin and keeping the immunity of the skin intact when exposed to sunlight. Lamelle’s Rescue Repair Gel is very cooling and pumped with Pygnogenol which stops the free radical action caused by sun exposure.

In the days after sun exposure it’s critical to continue using anti-oxidant containing products – particularly L-ascorbic acid (found in high doses in Lamelle’s Recharge CE complex) which is depleted through sun exposure. That and the body doesn’t make it naturally. Found in the skin - this simple vitamin is critical in lowering enzymes that break down healthy collagen. It also assists in the production of hyaluronic acid (which helps plump the skin) – without which skin is unable to make good quality healthy adult collagen. So if you are baking in the sun, and enjoying a cigarette and a few alcoholic drinks, you definitely need to supplement the vitamin C stores in your skin. Taking it orally will help - but the fastest way to get it to your skin is by applying it to your skin, topically.

Another useful offering from nature is a compound derived from red algae, called Astaxanthen. Studies in humans have shown that treatment after exposure with Astaxanthen can nullify the effect of the sun on the skin. However, early application is essential and reapplication is preferable. Aloe extract provides significant soothing and skin hydration at the same time by virtue of its healing plant complexes that reduce peeling and redness in the same treatment. Regretfully menthol-laced icy gels do nothing more than providing the illusion of cooling. They themselves don’t repair very much.

Of course, once the skin has been damaged through excess sun exposure, it can be dry and flaky, and very sensitive – particularly the day or two following the initial burn. At this stage of the skin’s post-burn recovery, a product that’s more occlusive (like Lamelle’s Barrier Repair cream) provides a great deal of comfort. Products designed to be used after peels and in-salon treatments are ideal for this. They are generally rich, and creamy and help to protect the underlying injured skin until it heals completely. These products are purely occlusive and keep the skin hydrated and protected while it heals. So use your Vitamin C or Hyaluronic acid-containing ingredients underneath these thick creamy creams.

Using Hyaluronic acid (HA) containing serums is also useful. Once again they are uncomplicated but highly effective. Look for HAFi fragments on the ingredient list as they boost cell production and stimulate HA production in the skin. Generally, these serums are also safe to use close to your eyes, cooling and calming the area if it’s overexposed. You might need to ditch your eye cream for a little as it might be too stimulating to use on sun-damaged skin.

If your first aid cupboard is lacking in punch, at the very least regular application of a good quality moisturiser should reduce the degree of peeling. While sun avoidance for the next few days and high SPF sun protection would form the obvious basis of any post-burn programme, just remember that your skin can only tolerate so much abuse before presenting with the long-term negative effects of excess sun exposure including, irregular pigmentation, skin thinning, sagging and coarse wrinkles and at its extreme, skin cancer.

Prevention is better than Cure

Healthy skin can be defined as skin that has an intact barrier, is not over-exposed to sun, has a healthy 28-day shedding rate (or thereabout), and does not react to products and treatments. When the skin has been overexposed to the sun, it has a rough texture and doesn’t shed properly which will cause a leathery, dull appearance. This skin can also become unpredictable and can contract or develop unexplainable infections and sun-related illnesses.

Before leaving home or going into the sun - make sure that you opt for a photoprotection product like Helase 50 that not only has the unique ability to protect the skin from all the harmful effects of the full spectrum of sunlight but also fixes recent DNA damage that had been caused by the sun and the free radicals produced during sun exposure. It contains UVA and UVB sunscreens that protect from harmful light frequencies by providing SPF 50 protection.