Be Cool While You Bake
It’s Greater Tampa Bay and it’s sunburn season. You know what that means: whether you’re a local or a tourist, you’re out at the beach or by the pool catching some rays and baking your skin every chance you get!
But not everybody knows how to sunbathe properly. Some overdo it with oil that provides little protection to tan faster or don’t wear any protection at all. Sunburns man, OUCH! And this is Florida, so when the hotter than hell temperatures hit, we get sunburns even when we’re out and about doing everyday activities.
So your friends here at one of Greater Tampa Bay’s highest-rated air conditioning companies have a few tips to help get you through the sunburn season:
Air Conditioning Of Course!
Stating the obvious. We’re an air conditioning company (duh!). So first and foremost, if you’re sunburnt, spend some time inside with some air conditioning! … Yeah, yeah, we know. This seems obvious, right? But one of the best ways to prevent heat-related illnesses after baking in the sun is to cool your body down in an air-conditioned environment. And what would a Super Heat & Air blog post be without a call to action to call us? So if your air conditioner is broken: call us! (Brilliant!)
While your air conditioner is broken, stay in a shaded area or sit under or near a fan until we come by to fix it.
Sunscreen is your Pal
Common sense too. Before you go get toasted, check the labels on your sunscreen. If your sunscreen bottle is from last year, make sure it hasn’t expired. And if you don’t understand what a sunscreen’s Sun Protection Factor — more commonly known as SPF — is, and you’re not sure what level of SPF sunscreen to use, buy one with at least 30 SPF as a rule of thumb.
All sunscreens are not created equal. And neither are all skin types. So buy a sunscreen made for your skin type. For example, cream or lotion-based sunscreens are best for dry skin. On the other hand, gel sunscreens are better for oily types of skin. Have you ever missed a spot and it burned like hell while the rest of your body feels fine? Yeah, it sucks. So remember to apply sunscreen evenly over all areas of your exposed skin. That one unprotected sunburnt spot will ruin your day!
Kiss Me Old Chap
Your lips don’t lie. You want to get a tan so you can look good, right? And looking good will probably increase your chances of getting kissed, right? So protect your lips from the sun too. Don’t be a chap-skate (that’s not a typo)! Spend a little extra cash and buy a lip balm with at least SPF 15 to protect your lips from sunburns. High SPF lip balms also protect your lips from nasty, ugly, itchy cold sores (ewwww). Because if you get one of those, who’s going to want to kiss you anyway, right?
Already Have Sunburns?
Oh the pain! Oh the misery! OH THE … alright, we’ll stop. You probably already know how bad being sunburnt is, so we don’t need to exaggerate (much) here. But there are ways to reduce the pain and redness of existing sunburns. One way is to take ibuprofen, aspirin, or other anti-inflammatory medication as soon possible to reduce swelling and irritation. And just like reading the labels on your sunscreen, read the labels on these medications too before taking them.
Another thing you can do for relief is apply a cool cloth to the affected area to dampen the skin and reduce the pain. You also want to hydrate by drinking water or other clear fluids after over-exposure to the sun and to help reduce fatigue. Aloe vera is a common remedy for sunburnt skin. It minimizes redness while cooling off the irritation. And if you don’t have aloe vera and you don’t mind looking like breakfast, take an oatmeal bath or apply cold yogurt to the affected areas instead.
Ice Ice Baby
Not always cool. We already mentioned that we’re an air conditioning company, right? Of course we did! And you’re reading this blog post so you already know that! But while we’re all about being cool, we have to be anti-cool here when it comes to putting ice on a sunburn. Applying ice to a sunburn seems like a logical choice. But ice creates what’s called an “ice burn” feeling, which can actually make your pain even worse! Sunburns and ice don’t go well together. So find another way to cool down. Speaking of things that don’t go well with sunburns …
Cold Showers Are Not Cool
Lukewarm is the way to go. If you’ve been overexposed to the sun, then yes, do make your way indoors where the air conditioning is. You know, the cold, soothing, can’t-live-without-it air conditioner like the ones Super Heat & Air installs. But seriously, like applying ice to your skin may seem logical, the same goes with cold showers. A lukewarm shower is better suited for sunburnt skin, as it will help to improve circulation. And a cold shower can actually backfire on your sunburnt skin. That’s because your body temperature could rise to counteract the cold water and actually make you feel even hotter than before.
So there you have it Greater Tampa Bay, just a few tips to keep you cool while you bake in the Florida heat. Remember that coming home from the beach or pool on a hot day with a broken AC is not cool. So make sure your air conditioner works when you need it most. Call us 24/7 to schedule an inspection, and happy tanning!
