Sunburn Symptoms Overview

The lazy days of summer are in full swing with beautiful sunny days perfect for lounging on the beach or swimming in the pool.

These are the days to relax and soak up the rays; however, these are also the days to wind up with nasty sunburn.

Sunburn symptoms can change a carefree day of fun in the sun to a long night filled with cool compresses and aloe vera very quickly.

You have probably heard that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and when it comes to sunburns this is doubly true. Your first goal then is to of course prevent painful sunburnt skin symptoms.

Prevention

Sunburns occur because you spend too much time in the sun without adequate protection for your skin. Your skin actually burns from contact with ultra violet or UV rays. There are two types of UV rays, UVA and UVB and both can and do cause sunburns. UVB rays are the most damaging and the main culprit in skin cancer.

To prevent sunburns from sun exposure or tanning beds you should limit the time spent in the sun and the time of your sun exposure. Between the hours of 10 A.M. and 4 P.M., the sun is at its strongest and you should avoid exposure. The amount of time you can spend in the sun without being burnt is highly subjective. The closer you live to the equator and the fairer your skin the less amount of time you can spend un-protected in the sun. Your best bet is to always wear sun block whether you will be exposed for a few minutes or a few hours.

Sun block comes in many varieties and strengths, which are measured in sun protection factor or SPF's. The recommended strength will again depend on your skin type and sun bathing practices but 50 SPF is the recommended strength for most variations.

Symptoms

Sunspot symptoms will normally kick in within two to four hours of sun exposure with the worst effects being felt at around twelve hours. Initially your skin will feel tight and warm to the touch while showing a slight red tint.

The longer you stay in the sun after initial sun burn symptoms set in the worse your sunburn will get. Most cases of sun burn symptoms, though uncomfortable, are not life threatening; however, with repeated long-term exposure it is possible to get sun poisoning which is potentially fatal.

Sunburn symptoms may also include any of the following:

* Fever

* Chills

* Nausea or vomiting

* Blistering and peeling

* Severe pain

* Headache

* Confusion

As you can see, there is nothing fun about sunburn symptoms and in some cases; you can end up with severe medical problems. The best advice you can get is to always limit the amount of sun exposure you get and use a quality sun block. Top