Sunburn

With mild sunburn, the skin is red, hot and usually painful. The symptoms generally show up 6 hours or more after the first exposure and peak within 24 hours. Moderate or severe sunburn often begins the same way, but continues to progress—often peaking in the second 24 hours. Symptoms may include blistering of the skin, nausea, fever, chills, and headache. Sunburn causes the skin to turn red and blister. Several days later, the dead skin cells peel off. In severe cases, the burn may occur with sunstroke (vomiting, fever and collapse).

Sunburn can be easily avoided by covering up with loose clothing, a hat, and most importantly a sunscreen with an SPF (sun protection factor) of at least 15. Choose a sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB rays, for maximum protection. It should be applied half an hour before going into the sun, and make sure to use a generous amount, as research shows that most people don’t use enough to give proper protection.