Sunburn Treatment Questions and Answers

Sunburns can be painful and cause extreme external as well as internal damage to the body. If you are experiencing signs or symptoms of a sunburn, contact AFC Urgent Care Agoura Hills for a diagnosis and treatment. We are located at 5825 Kanan Road Unit B Agoura Hills, CA 91301.

What is a sunburn exactly?

Noticing redness, feeling like your skin is too hot to touch or feeling painful? You most likely have become sunburnt. Sunburns happen unexpectedly and quickly, especially when an individual is spending copious amounts of time under ultraviolet light (UV) like the sun or artificial sources like a sunbed for tanning.

Repeated exposure to these sources will result in a sunburn and can easily increase the risk of other skin damage including but not limited too dark spots, rough spots, and dry or wrinkled skin. Sunburns will also raise the risk of certain skin cancers like melanoma.

You can prevent getting a sunburn easily as well as other related skin conditions which are connected to sunburns by protecting yourself when you are under the harsh ultraviolet lights. It is important to remember, when you are outdoors or using sunbeds, even if the day feels cool, cloudy or windy or you do the normal time in a sunbed, you can still get a sunburn.

What are the degrees of sunburn?

If an individual is exposed to sunlight whether it be artificial or natural, it can easily burn parts of the body including your earlobes, scalp and even your lips. You can try to cover up your skin to prevent this from occurring, however you can still get sunburns through articles of clothing especially if the articles of clothing are made out of a loose weave or allows ultraviolet light through it.

Sunburns are documented into 2 separate categories of degrees. First degree sunburn or second-degree sunburn, being diagnosed into one of these two degrees of sunburn will ultimately depend on the depth, size and area of the skin that was sunburned.

First degree sunburns are diagnosed when the skin’s outer most layer becomes damages from a sunburn, even though it may heal itself, it will still take on average a few days and rest with aloe vera.

If you are suffering from a first-degree sunburn, you may begin to notice the following skin symptoms appearing, including:

• Redness
• Warm or tight feeling
• Swelling or blistering
• Soreness

After a few days, you may begin to notice some peeling beginning to happen to parts of your body that have been affected by the sunburn. Other symptoms to look out for from first-degree sunburns include headaches, raised body temperature, fatigue and nausea.

While second-degree sunburns are diagnosed as the more severe sunburn, it still happens the same way as a first-degree sunburn, by being exposed to ultraviolet light, however it penetrates deeper into the skins outer layer and then damaging the layer beneath called the dermis.

Treatment from a second-degree sunburn can take anywhere from a week to longer depending on the severity of the sunburn and if medical treatment was sought out. Anyone suffering from second-degree sunburns may notice the following:

• Skin that is showing as deep red
• Swelling and/or blistering over a larger area of the body
• Wet looking or even shiny skin
• Painful
• White discoloration within the burned area of your bodies top layer

Second-degree sunburns are painful, and are highly recommended to seek out medical treatment to help with applying cream and burn dressings for healing. If you are showing symptoms of second-degree sunburn, visit AFC Urgent Care Agoura Hills as soon as possible or your local emergency room for treatment.

How do you know when a sunburn is serious?

Sunburns regardless of the degree are serious. While second-degree is considered more severe, you should still seek out medical treatment for your sunburn.

If a baby or child is showing signs or symptoms of a sunburn, you should immediately seek out medical treatment for them, as a sunburn for babies and children can cause extensive external as well as internal damage to their bodies, as it is harder for them to regulate heat and their skin is very fragile at these young ages.

Should I go to urgent care for a sunburn?

If you or someone else is showing signs or symptoms of a sunburn, visit us at AFC Urgent Care Agoura Hills for a diagnosis and treatment. We offer top-quality medical treatment to all of our patients and can get you on the road to healing faster. We are located at 5825 Kanan Road Unit B Agoura Hills, CA 91301. We serve patients from Agoura Hills, CA, Westlake Village CA, Calabasas CA, Thousand Oaks CA, Malibu CA, Santa Monica CA, and Moorpark CA.