Sunburns

Did you know there are no real remidies for sunburns and especially for bad sunburns. I don't know if it's my durn English blood, the whole in the ozone or rotten luck, but at least once a summer I get burnt pretty good. I'm not talking about a little sun kiss. I'm saying that the sun full on makes out with me. It's very violating and I'm sure that's a weird visual, but it's a pretty accurate description. I usually bring it on myself though because every summer, like some alzheimers patient, the day will come when I think I'm "tan enough" and spend six hours shirtless on a boat, or the beach or wherever. Then I think, "my skin is feeling a little hot. Maybe it's time to apply a little sunblock." This is when it's too late. The damage is done, all I'm doing at that point is containing the spread.

Back to my original thought. Whenever I get burnt everyone seems to have some fact about treating a sunburn. Don't put anything cold on it, use butter take a hot shower and it will pull the heat from out of your skin. Hogwash! all of it. The only thing that heals a sunburn is time. You have to spend several days putting on shirts that used to be comfortable but are suddenly made of burlap. You can't crinkle your nose or laugh because when burnt skin wrinkles you suffer.

On the upside, once the pain is gone I get a decent tan for a few weeks. Well, decent for a white kid. Then I become a leper and have to deal with my face peeling for a week. However, I usually have enough fun while I'm being burnt to figure it's worth it.