Bad Sunburn

My family has found that Emu Oil, found at a natural foods/vitamin store works wonders and is very soothing to a sunburn.

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My only comment is to ignore Schauneille A's response. That was very innappropriate and rude. All children get into things every now and then that they shouldn't and they ALL get hurt at one point or another. Their is nothing we can do about it no matter how closely we watch them. Well, unless of coarse they live in a bubble, can we do that LOL. I think you are doing the right thing by watching it and it does not sound so bad, but maybe you do want to call your doctor just to see what they suggest for it.

Good luck and I hope he feels better soon.

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thats weird that the aloe would feel like fire. I would try one with less ingredients? Is it possably one of the kinds that has the "cooling effect", i think it has menthol. My husband hates that stuff... but He just says it makes him itchy.

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Try Oil of Olay Regenerist lotion/cream
It is expensive but I find it puts moisture back into the area very quickly. It smooths on very easily so no need to rub hard. Other than that aloe gel.

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My mother use to put wash rags with vinegar water on that seemed to draw the heat out. She also put noxema on bad sunburns, I don't know if you will totally avoid the burning sensation though.

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Hi,
Your child is right..aloe does feel like fire. I always try to get something with cocco butter. The lotion I have right now is made by Fruit of the Earth and has cocco butter and aloe and it works great. It's a small bottle that I found in the travel size section at Target.Good Luck!

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Wow, you are so lucky to have a PCA that will take your special needs kids to the pool :) Some PCA's are less interactive with their clients. What a blessing that must be! As for the sun burn, aloe with the menthal feels like fire to some people, my husband has tried a few of those type products and as soon as he puts it on, he races to the shower to wash it off as fast as possible because it 'burns like crazy' he says. Instead he uses an after-sun lotion. You can find these at most discount or drug stores.

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Hi S., this one may sound strange to you, but it works. Vinegar. Just plain ol' white vinegar. Put it in a spray bottle and spray it on. It's very soothing. Yes, it will smell while it is wet, but once it dries, the smell goes away. It works for a while and then when the sunburn starts to get uncomfortable again, just spritz on more vinegar.

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I always liked solarcaine spray. It takes the sting out and feels refreshing without having to actually touch the skin. there is also a lotion. I use Eucerin lotion on my son for his dry skin, but I wouldn't use it until your son isn't complaining of the burn anymore. When we were kids my mom always put vinegar on our skin. It helped take the sting of the burn out by the next morning. You might want to call a dermatologist or your pediatrician and just let them know about it. I just recently read an article that stated people that are prone to skin cancer later in life has a direct connection to bad sunburns in childhood. Poor little guy! I hope he feels better soon!
A.

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Have you tried Sarna lotion? I swear by the stuff for myself...it is really moisturizing and has a wonderful cooling sensation...I am prone to sunburn myself and love it!

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If you think his burns are that bad, I would at least call the nurse to see if they want to see him. I always alternate Noxzema face cream (during day) and Aloe Vera at night. Noxzema is moisturizing & I've never peeled when I use that combo - no matter how bad the burn. But Aloe - It should not hurt at all. I have a bad sunburn myself right now. And if Aloe Vera hurts, it's probably worse than you realize, that should be very soothing.

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OUCH!!! Banana Boat has an After Sun lotion - feels nice and cool and does appear to help! Best of luck!
K.

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My youngest son, 6, just had a terrible sunburn last week. It was still red and sore for 6 full days! On the 4th day I called the dr. and she said to just keep putting aloe on it, and use motrin to help get rid of the pain. Motrin works better than tylenol ...it help reduces the swelling. Also, I had the green aloe, and he hated it, but I went to Wal-mart and found clear aloe and he said it didn't sting at all. I also sugguest just keeping him in the house with his shirt off until the pain goes away.

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I have personally always used aloe vera gel that I keep in the refrigerator. I have also used this on my kids and they have never complained of burning. I actually think it is cooling on my skin. I just had a sunburn over the weekend and used it. It felt much better. Hope this helps.

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Hello S.! Use Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. It is the absolute best moisturizer and works so well for healing sunburns. You can find it at most grocery stores or any health food store.

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It sounds like it is still "burning". If it still feels warm or hot to the touch, apply Sea Breeze or the equivalent. I know it sounds painful, but it draws the heat out of the skin so it stops the burning process. After that, apply pure aloe and a good, non-fragrant lotion for dry skin. Alternate all three every hour or so. I also used plain water-soaked paper towels to draw the heat out as well between the other three. Another thing is to apply baby oil to the wet skin before drying off in the bath/shower. It will seal the moisture in.

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One other solution is to spray the sunburn with Lanacane and then put 100% aloe vera gel on it. The Lanacane takes care of the pain and prevents infection. Aloe vera gel, especially when refrigerated, helps the burning. I lived in Florida most of my life and this is by far the best cure I've ever seen or experienced.

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I'm not sure whether there's aloe in it or not, but I find Burt's Bees after sun soother to be really comforting and cooling. Lotion's not a good idea while the sunburn is still hot; it'll keep the heat in; I think it's the petroleum, which forms a barrier to keep skin moist, that also keeps the heat in.

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I am sure everyone has the thing they like best when it comes to sunburns.... I happen to really like Solarcaine medicated spray. It takes the burn out as it heals and it isn't greasy. (As a side note... it works GREAT to get rid of bug bite itch too!!)

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Good morning:
Hair condition works great for a sunburn. Any brand will do. When my daughter was 3, I got a bad sunburn on my back and like yur son it was bad. She wanted to "help mommy" so i grab the hair conditioner and with in 3 hours i was able to lay on my back and the pain was gone.
I do hope son recovers soon.

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When I have a bad sunburn I always use Noxema, it always feels SO good and it lasts longer than Aloe and actually soaks into the skin and stops/slows the burning.

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I was personally sunburned very badly a few weeks ago. I was in a lot of pain for about a week. The area had gotten so dry that I could not move that body part. I had the same problem with the aloe burning. Lotion burned too but it was obvious that I had to get some moisture on the skin. I was looking for A & D ointment when I stumbled across a small tub of Vaseline. I rubbed it onto the dry skin and it did not burn at all. In fact it was the first relief from the pain that I had in days. I kept applying it a couple of times a day for about another week. I felt great and my skin healed MUCH faster. They say to NEVER apply an ointment because it will trap the heat in and cause the burn to get worse. And that is true during the "hot" phase. But once my skin had cooled down back to a normal body temp the Vaseline worked wonders. Good luck!

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I work for a dermatologist. It sounds as if your son may need to be seen. I, and my children, at times, have been burned this badly on occasion (and no, it generally is not due to "negligence" as someone stated below) Geesh! Unfortunately, if the burn is not treated immediately, you move into a state of blistering and the damage is done. However, I have noted that the Rx I have been given by my employer far exceeded anything over the counter that I have ever found. Do take your child to a derm. Don’t mess around with your pedi or a GP. It will be a waste of time. As you know, a person's skin is their largest organ. What may seem like an innocent sun burn really could turn into something worse very quickly if not treated properly (I have seen a great deal of really bad cases that were left alone). Take care.

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Hi S.,

So sorry to hear what you and your child are going through. It's rough when our children are hurting. God bless you for caring for six of them!!!

Some brands of Aloe do sting. As someone suggested look for brands that are 100% aloe. "Fruit of the Earth" is one we have used that seems to work well and is 100%. You can also get the plain aloe 'juice' at a health food store and put it in a spray bottle so there is less physical contact needed.

Cool water baths can be good, and as someone else mentioned vinegar is an old home remedy. You can add some vinegar to the bathwater and see if he responds favorably.

The other thing that our family has used very successfully to heal a multitude of burns and wounds is natural vitamin E. Emphasis is on the 'natural' because the synthetic types do not work the same way. You will pay a little more for the natural oil but it is worth it. Be aware that ones that say dl (that is an "L" after the "d" are synthetic) d-alpha tocopherol or mixed tocohopherol (100% natural) is fine too...also beware of the ones that follow up tocohoperol with the word "acetate" those too are man-made.

Wheat germ oil can also work. We've just used the vitamin E oil on a lot more things ourselves. When my daughter was around 8 years old, she got burned by another child playing with a sparkler. It was a bad burn. We soaked the skin at least once a day and after the bath we would coat the area liberally with vitamin E. The skin healed almost perfectly.

My brother had 'highway burns' from skidding down the road in a motorcycle accident. We treated his skin often with vitamin E. Again the healing results were nothing short of miraculous. The medical people were amazed at the way that area healed.

In the case of a burn it will help provide a coating to the raw nerves and help your son feel a bit better in addition to its natural healing properties.

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There is a product you can find at Walgreens or similar store called second skin. Not sure if he has open or blistered areas but this works best on those types.

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I would avoid anytihng that has petroleum, SLS, parabens or anything that is unnatural. Just this past weekend I got a good burn and sought out a rememdy. I'm pregnant so I needed something natural. The two treatments that came highly recemmended is Yes to Cucumbers and Burts Bees. I bought the Yes to Cucumbers and it is definitely soothing- no burn. Be careful with "pure" aloe as it is rarelt pure, just check the ingredients. I have also heard that coconut oil, avacado oil and tea tree oils are great for burns too. Good luck!

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I would take him to the doctor.