Ways to Prevent Skin Peeling After a Sunburn

When the skin gets damaged due to excessive sun exposure, a large group of skin cells are damaged at once and result in sloughing off of visible white sections of the skin. This is unattractive, visually unappealing since the skin gets rough, dry, and shows signs of burns and blisters.

To prevent the peeling of skin after sunburn, the best thing to do is to avoid the intense exposure in the first place by applying or using a sunscreen on the skin to protect it. Here we would be discussing few home remedies, which help in dealing with those skin peels after a sunburn.

• Don’t Peel: The first thing to do is to never peel the already peeling skin. Not only is it painful, but it can also cause infection. Peeling of the skin can lead to infection if you are trying to forcefully to scratch it off. In case there is a dead skin hanging out, use a pair of sterilized scissors and safely cut the dead skin fold. Ensure that you only remove the skin, which is dead, and not the one which is healing. And once you are done with the cutting of skin, apply an antibacterial cream like Neosprin on the affected area.
• Oatmeal Bath: The moisturizing and healing properties of Oatmeal help the sun burnt skin in retaining the moisture and thus in preventing the peeling of skin after sunburn. Now to take an oatmeal bath you need to soak 3-4 cups of oatmeal in a bathtub, which is filled with warm water. Soak yourself in this bathtub for about 15-20 minutes and after that rinse the body with clean water. Once you are done with the oatmeal bath, apply a rich moisturizer to hydrate the skin.
• Power of Aloe Vera: Being a natural cactus extract, aloe vera is hailed all over the world for its soothing properties. You can use aloe vera gel, cream, lotion or use aloe vera juice directly from the plant. Squeeze the juice out of the aloe vera plant and apply it on the peeling skin. Aloe vera aids in healing and fighting off the sunburn pain. Aloe vera extract extensively hydrates and moisturizes a skin that has been severely damaged by sun’s rays. Aloe vera boosts the healing process of the sun damaged skin and helps in preventing the skin from peeling after a sunburn.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: To prevent skin peeling after sunburn, you can also use vinegar solution. Pour the contents of apple cider vinegar in a spray bottle and then spray it on the sunburn skin. This helps in preventing blisters and peeling of skin after sunburn. If the smell of the vinegar is irritating then you can add water to dilute it.
• Cold Milk: Milk has some unique healing properties and it plays an important role in healing the damaged sun burnt skin. Now, how to do use this home remedy? Take a washcloth and soak it in cold milk. Wring out the excess milk and apply this washcloth on the sun burned areas, and leave the skin to rest for at least 10 minutes. Wash the damaged skin area under clean running water. Repeat this at least 3-4 times a day to ensure maximum healing within minimum time. The reason why milk is beneficial for the skin is because it contains high amount of protein and the lactic acid present in the skin reduces the burning and itching present in a sun burnt skin.
• Mint Leaves: Mint juice helps in preventing the peeling of skin after a sunburn and promotes healthy skin. Take some fresh mint leaves and crush them in a bowl to extract the juice out of it. Apply this mint juice directly on the burned part of the skin. Mint also cools down the skin, which is often burning after a sunburn and helps in preventing the skin from peeling after a sunburn.

Apart from following these tips to prevent a sun burnt skin from peeling, make sure you follow certain “Don’ts” also. Avoid scratching the skin, since this will only damage the tissues of the skin that is healing. Moreover, chances of skin infection are also high if you tend to scratch or peel the skin yourself. Along with this, avoid bathing in hot water as the hot water will further damage the already damaged sun burnt skin, make the skin dry, and promote peeling of the skin. Instead, bathe with cold water to soothe the irritated skin.