treatyourscars Sunburn is a common type of injury caused by the sun. This injury can be in different degrees of severity, from mild to severe. A person with a severe sunburn typically has a painful rash with blisters.
All the scars from sunburn will disappear within four to six weeks. In case you have long-term sun exposure, then it is more likely that the burn won’t heal completely and will leave behind some permanent mark.
Treatment of sunburns scars
Treatment depends on the degree and size of burns. Apply broad-spectrum sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher) to exposed skin to prevent burns, seek as much shade as possible and cover yourself with a hat, sunglasses or UV protective clothing. Cover your burns with sterile, non-stick gauze to protect your areas, prevent infection and help the skin recover from burns.
Skin exfoliation is part of the healing process of sunburn and usually begins within three days. When the exfoliation occurs, you should resist the temptation to peck at it, which can cause further damage, says Dr Jaliman. The exfoliation stops when the skin is completely healed and can last for several weeks in case of severe sunburn.
This long-lasting damage to the skin increases the risk of skin cancer, which makes it crucial to protect skin from the sun. Sunburn blisters can occur in people who already have severe sunburn, which increases the risk of skin cancer.
Blisters usually occur within a few hours of sunburn, but can take up to 24 hours to develop. After diagnosis, many people with sunburn blisters find that they heal and disappear within a week.
This type of burn can lead to blisters and scars, which can take two to three weeks to heal. It can also increase the risk of developing skin cancer, particularly melanoma.
Third-degree burns from the sun affect the three layers of the skin (epidermis, dermis and fat) and can lead to purple skin discoloration, extreme blistering, and mild fever.
In case of sunburn, the skin reacts inflammatory to the UV damage, which leads to pain, redness, exfoliation and blisters. In addition to the pain, the redness and exfoliation of sunburn can be itchy. In some types of sunburn, swelling and blistering can indicate damage to deeper skin layers or nerve endings.
How long your sunburn lasts depends on skin type and severity of the burn, but usually mild burns heal within three to five days. Your doctor will assess your burns and prescribe antibiotics and creams to help. If the burn does not improve after two weeks, or if you notice signs of third-degree burn (purple discoloration or mild fever), consult a doctor.
How to treat sunburn Your skin burns when it gets too much sun without properly protecting itself, such as sunscreen and clothing. Failure to protect your skin can cause sun damage, which can increase your risk of skin cancer. As soon as you notice it it is important to treat sunburn in order to heal and soothe the stinging skin.
If you have a mild sunburn, within two to six hours of exposure to the sun you will notice redness. Moderate sunburn occurs when the skin is swollen and hot and takes about a week to heal. Severe sunburn is characterized by hot, red skin, followed by blisters that can last up to two weeks before fully healing.
First-degree burns affect the top layer of skin, causing redness and slight tenderness, and can cause a slight exfoliation of the skin within 24 to 48 hours of injury. Severe sunburns, also known as second-degree burns, cause damage to the underlying skin.
First-degree burns, which are the most severe, are characterised by damage to the outermost layer of the skin, the epidermis. Second-degree burns go a little deeper and affect both the epidermis (upper layer) and the dermis (lower layer of the skin), causing blisters. The same applies to second-degree burns, which can cross the joints and affect the face, fingers, toes and genitals, and are at greater risk of disfigurement, scarring and impaired mobility.
Second degree burns reach deep into the dermis, the skin tissue under the outermost layer of the skin (the epidermis) containing sweat and oil glands, capillaries, hair follicles and nerve endings. Third-degree burns extend beyond the skin and affect deeper tissues.
Burns occur when you touch something hot – such as grabbing a pan directly from the oven, scalding yourself with boiling water or burning your skin. The healing of burns can take several months to several years, which can lead to the loss of affected body parts.
Burns scars cover a large area of your face and body and can affect your appearance. Burn scars are a type of heat and how long the heat stays in contact with the skin determines whether you get a scar or a larger one.
Contraction scar tissue occurs when burn scar tissue stretches around the skin so that you cannot move your bones and joints. It tightens skin, muscles and tendons and makes movement more difficult. Muscle tissue damage from burns can go through the layers of the skin and into combustion-damaged structures.
Minor burns or blisters affect the top layer of the skin, and superficial (epidermal) burns heal normally within a week without scarring. Minor burns affect the outer skin layer and the underlying tissue layer (superficial or dermal burns) and typically heal within 14 days, leaving minimal scars. These burns, also known as partial burns, can be identified by the penetrated depth of the skin layers.
Many factors such as sunlight and environmental factors can influence the severity of sunburn. Skin tone plays an important role in deciding whether sunburn is present to some extent or not, but most sunburns are first-degree burns. Light skin tones and second-degree burns are more common, third-degree burns are rare.
A short drive without sunscreen can turn you a little pink, and falling asleep for a few hours in a beach chair can lead to reddish, angry burns. Slight effects can take up to two to three days to fade, and severe burns can take up to two weeks to heal, after which they can return with blisters, crusts and scabs. These burns require medical attention due to the risk of infection and scarring.
If you are the kind of guy who can’t resist pecking at his pimples, you might be tempted to peek at the long patches of peeled skin on your sunburn. The good news is that you can take several steps to reduce the likelihood of developing permanent marks on your skin.
