It’s that time of year again! Sunburn season is upon us in a big way.

You probably didn’t get an announcement, you probably didn’t see it on the news. There is no official start to Sunburn Season, it just sort of sneaks up on you. That’s the way it works!

Here at Skin Actives Scientific, you might say that Sunburn Season never really ends. We get a break for a couple of months in the winter when people dress up a little more than usual, but that’s it. According to the local weather service, Phoenix, Arizona gets an astounding 300 sunny days a year! Can you even believe that? It doesn’t seem possible.

But it is.

So around here we take exposure to sunlight, to UV light in general, very seriously. We have to.

According to the Arizona Department of Health, “invasive melanoma cases increased from 18.2 to 21.6 cases per 100,000 persons between 2009 and 2014.” So maybe we should be taking it even more seriously. 

Here’s the thing: it’s summer, vacations, cook-outs, swim parties, and fireworks are in full swing. You and the people that you love could be getting more sun than you have in months, and with all that sun exposure can come sunburn.

Outside of the long term health consequences of too much sun, sunburn can cause your summer fun to come to a screeching halt. It’s hard to enjoy sleeping in comfortable hotel sheets when your shoulders feel like they are on fire. And if your kids get too much sun at the pool, their burnt skin will dampen fun and increase tantrums for days afterwards.

At Skin Actives, our mission is to help you create an informed, healthy lifestyle for your skincare routine, all at a price point that is accessible to anyone. So today we’ll break down some ways that you can treat your sunburn (or the sunburn of those that you love), and get the summer fun back on track.

Causes and Symptoms of Sunburn

Sunburn is a very common skincare concern, and one that is easily avoided. When you consider how ultimately painful sunburn can be, it’s really not much effort to apply some sunscreen to avoid it. Still (especially this time of year), it’s easy to get caught up in summer fun and lose track of time, finding yourself sunburned at the end of the day. 

Sunburn occurs when your skin is exposed for a long period of time to ultraviolet (UV) light. This light most commonly comes from the sun, but can originate from human-made sources as well such as tanning beds. UV light is a wavelength that exists beyond the scope of human perception. If you follow the spectrum of visible light into perceivable violet, the next steps beyond take you into the realm of unperceivable ultra-violet. 

There are three broad categories of UV light: UVA, UVB, and UVC. UVA light doesn't cause sunburn, it’s not strong enough. Here at Skin Actives Scientific, when we’re talking about physical aging, wrinkles, and photodamage, we’re talking about UVA light. 

UVB light is strong enough to cause sunburn. It will penetrate your skin and cause damage to your cells. While UVA is thought by many to have a role in skin cancer, UVB plays the predominant role in this relationship.

UVC light is the most powerful of the three types of UV, but currently it interacts with our atmosphere in such a way that it is filtered out. 

You’ll know you have sunburn when your skin becomes red, irritated, and potentially painful to the touch. Sunburn also emits a detectable warmth from the skin. 

If you are sunburned you should immediately get out of the sun. It’s best at this point to go indoors to recover. Your skin is dehydrated by what it’s enduring, but the rest of your body probably is too. Drink plenty of water to aid your recovery. 

Sunburn Skin Recovery

For the short term you probably already know that cooling your skin with water will help the immediate discomfort of sunburn. But it’s such an unpleasant sensation, you probably want to be over it as quickly as possible. For this, Skin Actives is here to help. 

Skin recovery is vitally important to long term health. On that note, we’re obligated to say that avoiding this damage is better than recovering from it. Make sure you apply sunscreen before you leave the house each day. If you are getting a lot of sun, reapply every 2-3 hours. Wear long clothes with breathable fabrics that can shield you from the rays of the sun when the situation allows for it. 

But in case you do all that and you still get sunburned, let Skin Actives help you with your recovery!

Aloe - The aloe craze has been with us for a long time now. We’ve probably become sort of inured to the traditional wisdom of reaching for a giant bottle of aloe gel when sunburn strikes. And, for sure, aloe is good for your skin’s recovery! The problem with those big bottles of gel is that they very often contain some form of alcohol in them to act as a preservative. Beware of this when you are buying for recovery! Alcohol is not something you want to put on damaged skin that is trying to recover. It will dehydrate you further and introduce oxidants that will damage your skin. Say “yes” to aloe and aloe products, but “no” to alcohol.

Try this: You can add the power of aloe to your favorite cream with our 1.2g vial of Aloe available here.

Vitamin E (Tocopherol) - High in antioxidant activity, Vitamin E will scour free radicals from your skin. This is just what you need at this point (rather than adding more with alcohol), removing free radicals will help you avoid skin damage that leads to signs of aging. And that is a goal you can have with any area of your skin, not just your face. Look for products with tocopherol to add a boost of antioxidant power to your recovery routine, or add some Vitamin E Oil from Skin Actives directly to your favorite oil-based serum. DIY Vitamin E pairs great with Skin Actives Canvas and European Base creams for at home use.

Try this: Skin Actives Hand & Body Lotion is already replete with actives that are great for keeping your skin feeling young and strong, but it also contains Vitamin E. When you are locking in nutrients to recover from sunburn, use Hand & Body lotion for an antioxidant rich, silky spread.

Sea Kelp Coral - If you are ready to speed your recovery beyond what you can do with aloe, look no further than Sea Kelp Coral. Packed with all the nutrients your skin needs to recover, our Sea Kelp Coral is soothing to the touch, cool, and gel like when you chill it in the fridge! Beat the heat emanating from your skin with Sea Kelp and get on the road to recovery fast.

Try this: Apply Sea Kelp early and often to recover your skin. At first, the Sea Kelp will be very emollient as your skin “drinks” it in. Keep applying until your skin is “full”. At that point continue to re-apply every hour or two, not just to soothe, but to give your skin the tools it needs to regenerate from within.

Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) - EGF promotes cell turnover, that’s something that anyone who reads the blog often will know. So what about those cells, damaged by UVB rays? Turn ‘em over! They are damaged, and you want to get them gone. Enhance this process with the power of epidermal growth factor from your friends at Skin Actives Scientific.

Try this: Our Advanced Restoration line of high potency EGF products was designed to promote cell turnover and decrease recovery time for your skin. Any product from this line will work wonders for you, but the big winner is our High Potency EGF Spray. It spritzes on easy without touching your burned skin and will get you feeling better at a pace that is truly remarkable. To have experienced it is to love it, and we think that if you give High Potency EGF Spray a shot, it will be your go-to for skin recovery.

Right now at Skin Actives Scientific, products containing aloe or vitamin E are 10% off with Coupon Code: BURN10. Additionally, Sea Kelp Coral is 10% off in either 4oz or 8oz sizes with promo code: BURN10.

Don’t wait until you’re already burned to place your order! Get in front of this summer fun-stopper and order today! 

Thanks for reading Skin Actives Family, we’ll be back next week with all new blog content. Have a safe weekend, and remember to put on your sunscreen!