OUCH! I'm an idiot... sunburn....

materialsgirl

materialsgirl

Cathlete
Okay, let me preface this by saying that I'm a moron and it's my own darn fault that I'm in this situation. So please do not scold me for my irresponsibility - I already know I'm a doof. :p

I have the world's worst sunburn (well, it FEELS that way!) on my back. I forgot to apply sunscreen before going out to do some gardening on Sunday. My face was protected since I wear mineral makeup and my moisturizer has SPF in it. But the rest of me... not so much. My back was the only part that got burned (I was wearing a halter top), but man oh man, does it HURT! It feels like someone beat me with a baseball bat over and over again. It's tender and sore to the touch. On Sunday it was hot and burning. On Monday, I didn't really feel anything, although if I rubbed it the wrong way, there was some pain. But today, man oh man, it's like DOMS for sun overexposure!

So I have two questions for all you:

(1) What's your favorite/most effective sunburn relief home remedy? I've tried aloe and it doesn't seem to be helping much at this point.

(2) How do you apply sunscreen to your own back? I need a good method for this, since DH isn't always around to lend his helping hands.
 
I love ocean potion burn relief ice. It has aloe and lidocaine in it and when I got burnt in vegas last year, it was a lifesaver. The moment I put it on I felt better
 
Which Noxema product? They have a ton of different products - are you referring to a cleanser or lotion, or something else?


Thanks for the suggestions! :)
 
I used to use Noxema, too, when I got sunburns. You know...the cream that came in the blue jar and was really stinky. I used to wash my face with it when I was a teenager.

I don't have a problem applying sunscreen to my own back, since my arms are quite bendy and there aren't any places on my back I can't reach myself. I think that if I couldn't, and nobody was around to help me, I'd just keep a light tank-top on.
 
This might sound weird, but it WORKS! Tea, the plainer the better, although I think any will work something like Lipton Tea or Red Rose would be preferable. Make some double strong tea, brew it hot with 2 bags to 1 cup of water. Then let it cool a little and apply liberally to all sunburned areas. Chill the remainder of the tea and reapply every couple of hours. As the tea gets colder this will feel GOOD! Just use a cotton ball to apply. The tannins in the tea work wonders and really cut down on the pain, redness, and flaky peel.
Please try this, it really helps! If not, get an after sun spray (Fruit of the Earth makes a good one) with some lidocaine or benzocaine in it to cool and numb. But tea is a lot cheaper.
Best,
Mattea
 
Oh, i sympathize!!! I did the same thing last week!! Out in the garden weeding,and got a bad sunburn, just around the back of my tank(racer style back) It hurt so much for two days, i couldn't even lay on my back to do my chest work or ab work!!

I swear by anything aloe, as i work in a radiation therapy as a nurse and we give all patients with skin burns an aloe based gel.

This week, i'm dealing with the itching, cause now it's peeling!!

DOn't scold me either, i was sunscreened everywhere else, just missed that small portion of my back.

Good luck, it'll feel better in 24 hours.
 
I feel for you Emily! I have managed not to burn yet this year and I hope I don't. I have several times though and have used aloe. My DH has a sunburn now and he is using aloe. It is working quite well too. Not sure what else to tell you to use. I hope you fell better soon! :)
 
Oooo, I feel for you and my dh. He got burned bad this weekend. I guess the weather was kind of deceiving here in Illinois!:) He used aloe as well.

Hope it doesn't peel on you!

Dallas
 
Ouch! Last time I got a bad burn, it was also on my back. I did remember to put on sunscreen, but I missed about an inch wide band around the edge of my top, and that's what got burnt.

To help:
1) cider vinegar rubbed on the burn or baking soda in a bath
2) I just reach as far as I can from the top, then from the bottom. Yoga helps with being flexible enough to reach the middle of my back, most of the time. I also bought a lotion applicator at Walmart (?), it's a folding handle, with one end as a paddle with a sponge-like applicator, that allows you to reach hard-to-reach places.
 
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