Friday, April 6, 2012

What Happens When You Get Too Much Sun On Vacation

By Ian Smith


Many folk manage to get sun burnt at some of the hot beach vacation places

There are a few ways to relieve the discomfort of severe sunburn, but truly once you have got to this point the damage has been done already and you will have to tolerate distressing and peeling skin for 1 or 2 days. Cooling lotion such as Calamine is extraordinarily soothing and aspirin is handy for its anti-inflammatory properties.

If blisters puncture, the skin should be peeled away using tweezers sterilised with a flame. Beware of oily creams if your skin is burnt because they are going to keep the heat trapped inside.

Hydrocortisone cream can be handy for extraordinarily badly burnt areas. Don't forget the dehydrating effect of burns, so drink plenty of water to replace liquids.



In hot, dry climates, defence against the heat is comparatively straightforward, you want to stay in the shade and drink a lot of water. Heat stroke and heat exhaustion are much more likely in tropical, damp environments as it is much tougher for the body to cool itself when the sweat it produces doesn't evaporate, a process which causes cooling. Heat exhaustion is a problem that will affect people who make an effort to do too much too soon after arriving in the tropics, especially if they are overweight. Give your body a chance to readjust to the environment before taking exercise.



The leading indicators of heat exhaustion are like this. Excessive sweating, which is the body trying to cool down, and it may cause dehydration and a battering headache, weakness, muscle cramps, a rapid pulse and puking.

The body also tries to cool down by bringing the blood nearer to the outer surface of the skin. In temperate conditions this helps to chill the body rapidly, but in the tropics the process will take longer, which suggests that the brain is getting less blood than normal and fainting may happen. The sufferer may have a temperature of up to 1O4 degrees F.

It is important to act swiftly if someone is showing these symptoms. The first thing to do is to move the person into the coolest place you can find, like air conditioniong, or merely into the shade if there isn't any other option. Take off the patient's garments and sponge the body with cool, though not freezing, water. Fan the patient to encourage evaporation and give paracetamol to lessen the temperature and help relieve any headache or muscle cramps.

If at all possible, make the person drink lots of water: dehydration is almost certain to have happened and as much as 2 or 3 litres may need to be given in the first hour. Continue to cool the patient till his temperature drops to below 100 degrees F.

Heat stroke is not as common as heat exhaustion but carries a heavy mortality if not treated promptly. The symptoms of heat stroke could be displayed but they will be accompanied by a really high temperature, above 1O4 degrees F, malcoordination, delirium and unreasonable behavior, a high heartbeat and respiratory rate, and possible convulsions followed by unconsciousness.

If the patient falls into unconsciousness, then hospitalisation is needed urgently, because if not treated fast this can lead to permanent disability or death. Treat the patient as you would for indications of heat exhaustion, whilst organizing for a transfer to the surgery. It is vital to keep a close eye on the person's temperature, because excessive cooling may even lead directly to hypothermia. After cooling the patient, cover them up to prevent this from taking place.




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