Sunburned Feet: The Best Home Remedies
Just because they carry your full weight all day every day, and don’t complain unless they are in pain, doesn’t mean your feet are invincible. That especially applies when you spend a lot of time outdoors. Make sure you protect them the same as you do skin elsewhere on your body or you could end up with sunburned feet after time under our bright Arizona skies.
If it happens to you, the first thing you need to know is how bad the damage is. Burns are graded depending on the level of skin damage, and a serious burn with blisters or oozing should be seen at our office. If it’s only a pinkness or redness of the surface layer of skin, there are several home remedies that can help soothe the pain and heal the damage.
As soon as you notice a problem, start applying cold damp compresses to chill the skin and stop the burning. You can follow this up with cool foot soaks at home whenever the pain or itching get worse. Adding some basic household ingredients to the water may help with certain symptoms:
- Apple cider vinegar to balance pH and promote healing
- Baking soda to ease irritation and redness
- Oatmeal to get rid of itching
- Essential oils like lavender or chamomile to soothe pain
Aloe vera lotion has long been recommended for relieving discomfort and moisturizing peeling skin. This plant extract has a natural anesthetic that helps numb the pain. It is also important to stay hydrated so your tissues have the moisture they need to heal.
If blisters appear, don’t burst them. Allow the skin underneath to heal, as your body should resorb or shed the fluid on its own once the under-layer of skin has grown strong enough. Above all, stay out of the sun while you are healing from a burn. The skin is already tender, and deeper damage could occur with further exposure and increase your risk of skin cancer.
Need care for a bad burn? Contact Advanced Foot & Ankle Specialists of Arizona for an appointment and our foot experts can prescribe pain medications and medical skin creams to help your feet feel better again. We can also help diagnose any other nail or skin symptoms you have and design treatment for them. You can reach our office at (480) 963-9000.