Sun precautions

Sunshine, like all enjoyable things has its good and bad sides. Knowledge about sun exposure can help avoid the dangers and prevent injury to burn injured skin. A burn patient needs to be more cautious of the sun. Individuals are generally restricted from any significant sun exposure for one to two years after injury, necessitating a change for those individuals who work outdoors (e.g. landscapers, construction workers).

Newly healed burned skin is very sensitive and fragile. Exposure of burn injured skin to any sunlight until all the red color has faded is discouraged. Wounds may turn very dark brown or blotchy even with brief exposure to the sun. Unprotected skin can experience a slight sunburn in as little as 12 minutes on a summer day. And long-term overexposure may lead to skin cancer even on uninjured skin. Sunburns can occur through exposed custom fitted elastic garments. Skin covered by a typical summer shirt fabric can experience sun damage in about an hour. That's because a typical cotton t-shirt only has an SPF of seven, significantly lower sun protection than the medical community recommends. Furthermore, a typical 30 SPF sun screen, even though it may claim to provide protection from UVA rays does not block all the damaging rays from the sun. To protect skin from the sun, The American Academy of Dermatology recommends the following guidelines: (burn doctors additional recommendations are in parenthesis).

• Wear sun glasses that block 99 to 100 percent of UV radiation. This type of sun glasses can help prevent cataracts and other eye damage caused by UV rays. Usually, there is a tag on the sun glasses letting you know it's percentages.
• Wear a hat. Preferably one with a wide brim, this well help protect the areas most prone to sun exposure: eyes, ears, nose, neck and the top of your head!
• Put on some clothes! Even if you look great in that bathing suit, throw on a t-shirt! Your skin needs the extra protection. (wear UV sun protected clothing).
• Always use sun screen. A sun screen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 blocks most of the sun's harmful rays. Make sure to reapply every two hours. (20 SPF or higher). When working, playing or exercising outdoors remember that even waterproof sun screen can come off when you sweat or towel off water.
• Avoid the midday sun. The hours between 10:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. are when the sun's UV rays are strongest. If possible, try to avoid these times or at least use the entire list of precautions! (stay out of the sun for the first eighteen months to two years following a burn injury or until the skin has matured).
• Check the daily UV index. The UV index predicts sun exposure levels and indicates what precautions you should take if you will be outdoors. Generally, you can find the days UV index rating on your local news or newspaper.
• Avoid sunlamps and tanning parlors. Sunlamps damage the skin and unprotected eyes and are best avoided entirely.

Sunless self tanning products
Self tanners work by using the active ingredient dihydroxyacetone (DHA). DHA combines with protein in your skin to create a tan. Sunless tanning creams are an acceptable alternative for tanning. Do not use tanning creams over grafted or donor areas until the skin has matured, 12 to 18 months post graft. Try the patch test, using the product first on a small area to check for a reaction before applying to a larger area.