Soothing Sunburns

Ahhhh, the idyllic vacation days of August. Hot, lazy days on the beach. Swimming and boating on crystal clear waters. Hiking through wildflower-strewn meadows. Vacation time is here again!

Hot days in the sun can take a toll on your skin. Just 10 minutes in the sun on a hot August day can result in sunburn. Even if all you're doing this month is weeding the garden and ferrying the kids to the pool or local park, a bad case of sunburn can put the kibosh on your plans and make life miserable for a few days. Prevention is worth a pound of cure, as my grandmother used to say. Slather on the sunscreen and repeat periodically. Even if you're wearing sunscreen that claims to be long-lasting or waterproof, you're safer if you reapply sunscreen every couple of hours. The higher the SPF number the better, particularly if for kids and seniors or if you have fair skin.

If the worst happens and you do get a sunburn, here are some suggestions for soothing sunburned skin:

• Take a cool shower or bath or apply cool compresses to burned areas. Adding baking soda or colloidal oatmeal to the bathwater will also help sooth the skin.
• Keep skin moist with lotion.
• Apply aloe vera gel to cool the skin and relieve pain.
• Adults can take an over-the-counter pain reliever.