Medical department. I took a sick day this week because of sunburn. I mentioned in an earlier episode that I neglected to apply sunscreen one day, that was last Sunday.
On top of that day, in which I did a full 5.screw-5 mile walk, lasting close to two hours out, at least partially, in the sun, I had been exposed to the sun several times in the prior week, watering my lawn, mowing, and on additional walks. Most of these times I remembered sunscreen, but on Sunday it was cooler than usual and that helped me forget.
So I had a pretty bad sunburn that I didn’t even recognize until Monday. But I could tell by the symptoms that it was serious. Here are the symptoms of severe sunburn according to the Mayo Clinic, one of my favorite sources for medical information:
1. Pinkness or redness.
2. Skin that feels warm or hot to the touch.
3. Pain, tenderness, and itching.
4. Swelling.
5. Small fluid-filled blisters, which may break.
6. Headache, fever, nausea, and fatigue if the sunburn is severe.
I had three of these symptoms: the redness, warmth, and pain. The pain was like a tingling sensation. To combat the sunburn symptoms, I took Advil for inflamation, applied Solarcaine for topical pain relief and to prevent skin damage (the product contains aloe).
Sunburn can be serious as you can tell, no doubt, from the symptoms, but it can have long-term detriments as well, including an increased risk of skin cancer, and premature aging of the skin.
Some makeup products include sunscreen and I am definitely going to look into that for daily use. But I use an SPF-50 sunscreen when I will be outside for more than a few minutes.
On my to-do list is to get a pair of sunglasses. Apparently, even your eyes can get sunburned! According the Mayo Clinic, I need sunglasses with UVA and UVB protection.
Summer is here, and the Sun is getting closer to the earth. So take precautions to avoid short and long term damage from overexposure to the sun.
Resources:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sunburn/symptoms-causes/syc-20355922
Weight 7-day Avg. (change since Jan 2018): 218 (-56)
Workout time: 153 Minutes
Total Distance (total since Nov 2017): 7.59 Miles (521.22)
Steps: 16,763
Muscle Mass 7-day Avg. (change since Aug 2018): 154.68 (+12)
Body Fat 7-day Avg.: 29%
Daily Sleep Duration 7-day Avg: 5 hours
2019 Goal: 15% Body Fat