Unfortunately, many of us tend to forget about one of the most sensitive and vulnerable parts of our body: the lips. They are covered by a very thin layer of skin compared to many other parts of our body. They also contain less melanin, which is the pigment in the skin that protects us from the sun. Even if you put sunscreen on your face before heading out the door, if you neglect to protect your lips, you could be in trouble.
How to treat sunburned lips
If you’ve recently spent some time outdoors in the sun without thinking about lip protection, you may be dealing with some discomfort. Here’s how to tell if you have sunburned lips. It’s important to know what to do to help them heal, writes thelist.com.
The effects of sun exposure can take up to a full day (24 hours) to become fully visible. So it’s not uncommon to get home after a day at the beach and feel great, but then wake up the next morning with red, itchy skin. A sunburn on the body is quite easy to notice.
In the case of the lips, sunburn can present as discomfort, itching, burning, redness or minor swelling. If, however, small dark blisters appear on your lips, you are probably dealing with a more serious case of sunburn.
While most cases of sunburned lips, even those that result in blisters, can be treated at home, if you have any symptoms of an allergic reaction to the sun, such as severe swelling of your lips or tongue, a rash, or difficulty eating, drinking or swallowing, you should seek medical attention immediately.
How to treat sunburned lips at home
The first and most important thing you should do to help sunburned lips heal is to avoid further sun exposure until your lips are back to normal. If you must be in the sun, make sure you wear both physical protection like a sun hat and an SPF product on your lips. If you don’t like the idea of applying sunscreen directly to your lips, there are several options. For example, use a lip balm with built-in SPF.
Once you’re back home, using a simple cold water compress can help reduce discomfort. It can relieve the burning sensation and also reduce swelling.
After a cold compress, it’s a good idea to moisturize your lips to help relieve any dryness and flaking and to aid in healing. An aloe vera moisturizer might be soothing. If you choose an aloe gel, make sure it is 100% pure aloe vera if ingested.
Other home remedies for sunburned lips
It is important that, if you are sunburned, you take special care of hydration. When you have a sunburn, your skin uses more moisture from your body than normal to heal itself, so it’s easy to get dehydrated. Drink lots of water.
Speaking of water, when you bathe, shower, or wash your face, you’ll find that your lips will be much more sensitive to the temperature of the water than they usually are. So, if you are used to washing your face with hot water, now is the time to reduce the temperature a little. Use lukewarm water instead to reduce the risk of pain and discomfort.
And although this may sound strange, using a compress with skim milk instead of water can also be helpful in reducing pain. Milk proteins actually create a protective film on the lips, reducing sensitivity. Additionally, moisturizers that contain vitamin E, coconut oil, almond oil, shea butter, or beeswax are all good choices. They help soothe and heal sunburned lips.
What to do if you have blisters or pain
The rules change a bit if your lips are severely sunburned. If you have pain or if you have blisters, there are some remedies that you should not use. There are also some over-the-counter medications that you can use.
Taking pain relievers, if you can tolerate them, can help reduce the swelling and pain of severely sunburned lips. In addition, topical products containing glycerin and panthenol, which retain moisture, can help speed healing. If you have blisters, you should avoid using products that contain oils or petroleum jelly. These can clog the pores around the blisters, which could cause infections. Similarly, do not use topical medications such as benzocaine and lidocaine, which can also worsen symptoms.
Bandaging blisters is also a good idea if you know how to do it. Because it can be difficult to bandage the mouth area, be sure not to touch the blisters or crusts.
Prevention is the best medicine
Once you’ve had sunburned lips, you’ll probably never want to experience such a thing again. As such, prevention is your best bet. Wearing protective clothing such as a hat is a great idea. Using an SPF product on your lips will also help.
Get out and enjoy the sun this season. However, make sure to protect your lips while exposed to UV rays.
2023-05-06 04:02:13
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