Treating sunburn on the face: Here’s how

Sunburn on the face is particularly annoying because it cannot be covered with clothing in other places like sunburn. We show you how to treat sunburn on your face – also with home remedies.

One Sunburn on the face you should avoid. Because unlike a sunburn on your arms, you can’t just put on a long shirt to cover it up.

Even after-sun products are unfortunately not a panacea: although it often appears in advertising, it can After-sun lotion does not fix sunburn on the face. Experts also criticize this: “If, for example, from regeneration or repair what we are talking about leads to completely false expectations, ”says Professor Eckard Breitbart from the Dermatological Prevention Working Group in the magazine Öko-Test (07/2019). And further: “To think i might im having something Repairing something that has been applied afterwards would be a complete fallacy“.

So it’s best to protect yourself from the sun and use it suncream. But what if the damage has already happened? Here we show what you should do then.

Sunburn on the face: first aid

First things first: The areas of skin affected by the sunburn should be yours do not expose to direct sun. It is best to cover them with a wide-brimmed hat (protects the forehead) or sunglasses (around the eyes). You should also spend the next few days in the shadow stop: a parasol instead of sunbathing and a beach tent instead of a beach mat in the sun.

More tips for sunburn on the face:

• Home remedies: Many home remedies can help with sunburn on your face. Öko-Test recommends wet compresses with water, quark or yoghurt. They cool and so provide relief.
• liquid: The body loses a lot of fluid when sunburned. Therefore, you should drink a lot to strengthen the body’s fluid balance from the inside out. Eating more fruit and vegetables that contain water also makes sense, for example cucumbers and watermelons.
• humidity: The skin also dries out, so moisturizing creams (including after-sun lotions) can help. Professor Eckard Breitbart advises on products ureaas the fabric restores the moisture balance. But a wet cloth will do the same.

Attention: Sometimes you read that lemon juice, apple cider vinegar or salt would also help against sunburn on the face. Doctors advise against it, however, as these home remedies attack the skin.

Go to the doctor if your face is sunburned?

In certain cases it can make sense to see a doctor with a sunburn on your face:

• If small Children suffer from extensive sunburn parents should definitely visit a doctor’s office.
• Even if Adults more complaints a doctor is always advisable. Such additional discomfort can Nausea, swelling, chills or Vesicles be.

If the itching is particularly bad with severe sunburn, you can Hydrocortisone creams help – it is not suitable for children under six years of age. If the sunburn causes great pain, anti-inflammatory pain relievers such as ASS (not for children!) and Ibuprofen help.

How long does face sunburn last?

Sunburn on the face does not occur immediately, it occurs first four to eight hours after excessive exposure to the sun. It can take 24 to 36 hours for sunburn to peak. It takes at least four days for the sunburn to subside, but at least eight days for severe sunburn.

But even if the sunburn on the face heals and can no longer be seen after a few days, it can leave damage: The UV rays have permanently damaged the skin and there is one Skin cancer risk. The German Weather Service (DWD) therefore repeatedly warns of particularly high UV radiation, especially at lunchtime, advises against longer stays in the open air and recommends protective measures: “Even in the shade, a sun-proof shirt, long trousers, sunscreen (SPF 30) are essential. , Sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat for sun-sensitive behavior, “it says regularly in the Warning messages of the DWD. You can determine how strong the UV radiation is here check with the UV hazard index of the DWD.

More on the topic at Utopia:

• Avoiding Sunburn: 10 Tips You Should Know
• Sunburn on the scalp: this helps relieve the pain
• Old sun cream: can I still use the cream from the previous year?