Answer:
cold water is the best first aid when you burn yourself - 20 minutes under the tap is ideal. NEVER ice or vinegar or milk or butter or green tea or mustard or toothpaste or sunscreen or semen or vaseline or tomatoes or vanilla extract or yogurt or sour cream or egg white or lavender oil or cocoa butter or salt or tea bags or potato or shaving cream or olive oil or baking soda or banana peel or petroleum jelly or whipped cream or avocado or bacon grease or corn starch or tumeric or lemon juice or curd- not until the skin is fully healed!
alcohol might help with the pain but it is a serious risk as it will dehydrate you - so don't drink any. ibuprofen or aspirin will help but larger burns are often accompanied by stomach ulcers, so tylenol/panadol is best for pain if you are gonna tough it out. drink plenty of water or energy drinks that don't have caffeine (gatorade)
i would advise that you cover the burnt area with sterile paraffin wax or aqueous cream bp. (check the links below and see if you can find a local equivalent). wash the burn and reapply every 4-6 hours - cover with cling wrap if you wish to cover with clothes - this will stop your clothes getting covered with paraffin and maintains the burn.
cling wrap alone is ok if you can't get hold of any paraffin. it also acts as a protective artificial skin - helping retain moisture and protect from further damage and pain. cling wrap is cheap and clean off the roll. in Australia ambulances often use this when someone has been burnt. - please note that cling wrap isn't always practical, like on your face.
the paraffin imitates the natural oils, creating a seal stopping water leaving the body and reduces pain by protecting sensitised nerves. both of these factors improve healing - good stuff stays in, bad stays out - that is one job of healthy skin. aloe is good coz it remoisturises but that moisture can be quickly lost as the skin can't contain fluids. so put aloe on, and then the paraffin on over the top. if there is broken skin leave out the aloe - just paraffin.
http://www.doorone.com.au/xgs-aqueous_cr...
http://www.pharmacyonline.com.au/david-c...
hope this helps - let me know how you go and what similar brands/alternatives are available in your area
email if you still have questions - send photos feedingthedogcustard@hotmail.c...
finally if you are really worried go to a hospital that has a burns unit or plastic surgeons. serious sunburn i.e. blisters (and all other burns) should be seen by a burns trained doctor or nurse.
vinegar. good luck :-)
Keep using the aloe vera. Also, you could use lotion instead of the aloe vera sometimes just so that your skin stay moisturized. Peeling might be inevitable thought, becuse your body is trying to get rid of the skin that is dead from the burning. If it does start peeling, just keep using thr aloe vera and lotion and it should be gone in no time :)
If you are going to peel, you are going to peel. Sunburn is a real kind of burn injury - it is classified as a 1st degree burn. In this, part of the skin layer gets damaged and killed - that layer will peel off as newer skin grows under it.
The peeling is your body shedding the burnt layer of skin. This is a natural process, so I don't think there is any way to stop it. ...but you can keep the skin well moisturized with aloe and lotion (use Aveeno or any brand for sensitive skin).
If the pain does become bothersome...you can dab wet teabags over the burned areas. The best teabags to use are those from brewing up some tea. If the tea is freshly brewed you'll need to cool the bags off first with cold water by sitting them in some cold water. You can also brew up an extreme concentrate of tea using about 10 or family size teabags, let it steep for a minimum of 15 min. Once its finished steeping fill the tub about ankle deep with cold water and pour in the tea. Soak in the tea bath for about 30 min. You might need to add more water so your legs will be underwater.
aloe vera gel