sunburn on medium dark skin

[desertRose]

I am a 19 yr old girl of eastern indian descent, so my skin is medium tone..this weekend i stayed out in the sun a little longer than usual. I didnt feel anything that night, but my lips were pretty dry. The next mroning however, my face became very red and raw and looked inflammed. It started burning just a bit but not too much. The day after was the worst , with itching and burning..the redness decreased but my face is very swollen..specially around my nose, cheeks and forhead. Im at day 3 now, and getting very worried. My sister is getting married in a week, and i really hope my skin goes back to normal before then..Please help me with suggestions.. i never thought i would get burned, i didnt know that mid-dark ppl can get sunburned too..it really hurts :( ..please help

[Suzysue]

Often sunburn takes a while to develop, and this is what seems to have occured in your case. The best thing to do it use lots of deep moisturiser; like after-sun. And to also get some Savalon to ease the swelling. Also drink lots of water to keep your body creating lots of natural moisture. It is unlikely to become any worse now, but you will form dry skin patches on the most effected areas. However, within a week it shouldn't be too noticable if you are worried about it showing. If in doubt, pop along to see the Pharmacist to see what else they can advise. Hope that helps!   

[jno]

even black skin burns! Aloe vera gel is supposed to be helpful, or after-sun cream with aloe vera in it.

[georgit79]

Yep, any skin can burn- doesn't matter how dark you are. If you don't protect your skin from the sun, you will harm it. I would take an antihistamine and an ibuprofen if you have them to ease the swelling and calm the area down. I'd steer away from normal aftersun as sometimes this contains too much perfume, colouring etc and instead stick to non-perfumed hydration if possible. Like jno says, aloe vera gel is perfect, especially if you put it in the fridge first. Banana Boat do some really good stuff.

Don't worry, it'll definitely have gone down in a week, just be careful in the sun and drink lots of water to rehydrate your skin. Let us know how it goes!

[desertRose]

thanks alot u guys, i have been puting on aloe vera..the organic type. I didnt mention it before, but i am actually allergic to alot of the sunscreens on the market, i still havent figured out exactly what im alergic to in the products. thats why the day i went to the beach i put sunscreen only on my arms, so now i have an allergic reaction on my arms, and sun burn on my face..

sigh..the redness on my face has definetly gone done, but the swelling is there ..i havent notice any real peeling, so im not sure what to expect peeling, or blisters.