Sunburns are caused due to long stretches of exposure to the sun. People living in tropical countries are more prone to sunburns. The harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun can lead to skin pigmentation that if not treated, can become a permanent skin condition. The worst aspect of sun tanning is that it keeps piling on your skin layer after layer. It is therefore absolutely essential to cover the skin of your face and arms while venturing outdoors. 

Medications are effective in certain cases, but in some other cases, the afflicted person's skin is so sensitive that medicated ointments fail to show improvement. Ayurvedic home remedies can be put to use to avoid alarming side effects. 

Sunburns are characterized by the following symptoms:

 The affected area is usually hotter than other parts of your skin 
 A stinging and itching sensation may develop
 Red and pink patches may be seen on your face and arms or around the neck
 Acute sunburn can even make a person suffer from fevers and fatigue 

 These ayurvedic ways can be followed at home to treat sunburns:

 Use black tea to cure sun rashes and sunburns: refrigerate some black tea if possible. This cold beverage must be applied to the areas that have been harshly affected by the ultraviolet rays of the sun. Applying black tea on your skin multiple times in a day can repair the damage already done.
 Coconut oil is a great way to remove sun tan: coconut oil has been held in high esteem since ages. It is known for its ability to cure rashes. One must use coconut oil on the red patches every night before going to bed.
 Aloe vera gel can do wonders with your affected skin: instead of using creams that contain aloe vera; one should use aloe vera gel by extracting it directly from the plant. Aloe vera can heal the burns and can also soothe the burning sensation.
 Cucumber in combination with lemon juice can remedy sunburns: lemon juice has acidic effects that helps in lightening sun tan. When this juice is used with cucumber paste, the latter cools down an irritated skin area and rejuvenates it from within.

Treating Sunburns with Ayurveda

A little bit of sun is always good for you and you do need sunlight for your body to process vitamin D, which is necessary for bone health. At the same time, the ultraviolet rays from the sun can be detrimental for your health. While being in the sun is not a bad thing, how long you stay in the sun and how well you are protecting yourself count. Prolonged and unprotected sun exposure harms your skin and can decrease the immunity function of the skin.

Some effects of sun exposure include:

Development of cancerous and non-cancerous skin lesions
Benign tumours
Coarse and fine wrinkles
Freckles
Mottled pigmentation (Skin discoloration in certain areas)
Sallowness (The colour of the skin turns yellow)
Telangiectasia (Expansion of blood vessels under your skin)
Elastosis (Destruction of the collagen and elastic tissue)

The most harmful effect of sun exposure is definitely skin cancer. It is the uncontrolled development of anomalous skin cells is skin cancer. This accelerated development leads to formation of tumours, which are either malignant (cancerous) or benign (noncancerous). Skin cancer is mainly of 3 types: basal cell carcinoma, melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Among these, squamous cell and basal cell carcinoma are less critical; while melanoma is very serious. When melanoma is left untreated, it can affect the other organs and get difficult to treat. UV rays are the major causes of skin cancer. Sun exposure over the years leads to squamous cell and basal cell carcinoma, while severe sun damage episodes before the age of 18 cause melanoma.

Here are some tips to prevent sun damage:

Always apply sunscreen 20 minutes before you go out, even if it is cloudy. A sunscreen with SPF of 30 or more, and zinc oxide is advisable if you want optimum sun protection. Also, you should reapply sunscreen every 2 hours, especially if you are swimming or sweating.
Select cosmetic products, contact lenses and clothing that offer protection from UV rays.
Choose sunglasses that offer total protection from UV rays. Also, wear a hat with a wide brim to shade your neck and face.
Avoid direct exposure during harsh hours like between 10.00 and 3.00PM.

Prolonged Sun Exposure - How It Can Damage Your Skin?

Spending a day out at the beach or going up on a hike is something most people love to do. What they, however, do not want is the after effects of being out in the sun the sunburn. While sunscreen lotions do help to a large extent, being in the sea can wash off the sunscreen, leaving the skin exposed to the imminent damage. Also, the effect of most sunscreens wears off with time, thereby, invariably producing some damage to the skin. However, there are simple ways to reduce the damage and in some cases even reverse the damage done by the sunburn.

Listed below simple ways with which you can treat a sunburn:

The minute you realize sunburn has set in, reduce further damage by getting out of the sun.
If you were out in the beach, rinse off with regular water as early as possible to clear the chlorine and sand and salt water. The salt water irritates the skin and aggravate the damage further.
Take a pain-killer which will reduce the inflammation and control the overall effect of swelling and pain. This can also help the mild headache that can develop because of being out in the sun.
The sun dries the skin and therefore, make sure you make an extra effort and moisturize your skin. Use creams that contain aloe vera, glycerin or hyaluronic acid. Keeping them in the fridge for a while produces an extra-refreshing effect.
Make a compress containing egg white or green tea and skimmed milk. The green tea will reduce inflammation and the egg white will supply the necessary proteins for the skin to recover.
Not just the skin, the sunburn also leaves you dehydrated overall. Ensure the water intake is increased and consume water rich food like watermelon, grapes, and cucumber.
If there are sun blisters as a result of the sunburn, do not touch them. Peeling them can produce scars, which can be permanent.
On spots that are painful after the sunburn, slices of potatoes or cucumber can be used to rub the area. This will produce a cooling effect and also reduce swelling.
Vinegar contains acetic acid and reduces pain, swelling, and inflammation that happens subsequent to a sunburn. Towel soaked in vinegar can be used to wipe the area or vinegar can be added to the water for a bath.
Mint is another wonderful agent to manage sunburn. Include it in tea or add peppermint oil to lukewarm water for that healing drink.
These are some tips to treat a sunburn and reduce the damage (sometimes permanent) that can happen as a result.

10 Easy Ways to Treat a Sunburn

We have for ages seen our parents and our grandparents reach out for a piece of jaggery at the end of every meal. Jaggery is healthier compared to refined sugar because of its deposition of phytochemicals and other important minerals. While many people do not choose jaggery because of its no-so-good-appearance, it is perhaps more sensible to consume it considering the host of health benefits it offers.

Here is a list of benefits that can be extracted from the consumption of jaggery.

Skin benefits: Jaggery nourishes the skin in the true sense of the word. Owing to the numerous amount of mineral and vitamin, it can eliminate common skin problems such as pimples and acne. It can negate dark spots, wrinkles delay the common signs of aging.
Digestive benefits: Jaggery plays a huge role in ensuring smooth digestion. It stimulates secretion of digestive enzyme. It, therefore, makes it easy for the body to quicken the process of digestion. It can also help to stabilize the bowl movement by keeping common digestion related disorders such as constipation, intestinal worms, indigestion at bay.
Blood: Jaggery does a great job in purifying the blood. It acts as a cleansing agent by filtering the blood from the toxic agents. It also keeps the hemoglobin count normal and help the body refrain from blood-related disorders such as anemia. Since the quantity of iron content in jaggery is plentiful, it successfully helps the body to stay healthy and negate deadly diseases. Furthermore, jaggery can help women to stay away from complicated menstrual related disorders, beat weakness and fatigue.
Weight loss: Jaggery s rich potassium content helps the body balance the electrolyte, build muscles and improve the metabolism of the body. Potassium also helps in managing water retention in the body. Both the factors coupled together helps in weight loss and beat fatigue, obese etc.
Blood pressure: The sodium and potassium content of jaggery helps the body maintain an effective adequate acidic level. This ensures that the blood pressure remains in the balance and the body refrains from undue blood pressure related disorders.
Antioxidants: Jaggery contains selenium, the latter is a rich source of antioxidants which can help the body to fight the free radicals and keep it at bay. The antioxidants also help the body to stay away from other ailments.
Respiratory health: Jaggery is a great source of food that can effectively fight various respiratory problems of the body. It can fight diseases such as bronchitis and asthma.
Body temperature: Jaggery helps to keep a normal body temperature. This is extremely beneficial for patients suffering from asthma since maintaining a steady body temperature is sacrosanct for patients suffering from this disease.

Jaggery (Gur) - 8 Amazing Reasons Why You Must Eat It!

Silk pillowcase slows down skin aging

Using silk pillowcase is known to slow down skin aging by giving you a wrinkle-free skin. This is due to many good qualities of silk fibers.

Silk is a natural fiber obtained from animals and contains amino acids which are compatible and friendly to the human skin. It also contains temperature regulators which adjust your skin to the changing temperatures. Hypoallergenic silk fibers resist many skin allergens like fungus, spores etc making it ideal for sensitive skin.

The tightly woven fiber which remains most in contact with your face retains moisture to your skin and keeps your skin well hydrated. Unlike dry and flaky skin, moistened skin cells are most likely to show fewer wrinkles and hence slow down skin aging process.

Did You Know a Silk Pillowcase Can Slow Down Your Skin's Aging?

Washing your skin with water is something that you probably do daily, but you may not know at what temperature the water should be. Using water at the correct temperature is advantageous for the skin. Water at extreme temperatures is harmful for the skin as your skin is not designed that way.

The temperature of the water should also depend on the purpose for which it is being used. Here are some tips on how to set the temperature of the water depending on the purpose: 

1. Showering: while showering, if you are using hot water, then it may strip your skin of its essential oils and make it vulnerable to dryness. This may cause various skin complications, such as cracked and rough skin. Hence, use lukewarm water while you shower.

2. Washing your hair: using hot water to wash your hair may lead to hair damage as it rids your hair of all the essential oils and makes it limp and dull. Lukewarm to normal water is recommended while washing your hair as it will allow the hair to retain its natural oils.

3. Brushing: the right temperature of water while brushing your teeth should optimally be lukewarm. Too cold or hot water can lead to teeth sensitivity and cause oral problems.

4. Washing your face: before you apply a cleansing agent on your face, use warm water to wet the face as it helps to open up your pores. After the cleansing agent is applied, then use cold water to wash your face. Cold water helps in closing the pores after the impurities are removed from the skin.

5. Shaving: if you are going to shave, then opt for warm water as it opens the pores up and thus makes it easier for the blade to glide through the skin. This also reduces the risk of razor burns on your skin.

6. Washing your feet: wash your feet with lukewarm water as it facilitates dead cell removal and also helps in getting rid of warts.

Hot vs Cold: Which Water Temperature is Best for Your Skin

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