Sunburn and heatstroke
Summer is a time of fun filled days in the outdoors. We all know about slip, slop, slap and slurp (don’t forget the water) but what do you do when you have forgotten to reapply the sunscreen often enough and the little ones, or even the big ones, end up with a bad case of sunburn.
Don’t forget that you can get just as burnt on cloudy and even windy days as you can on clear, sunny hot days. They are often the worst because they are the days that we are less conscious about the sunscreen and the intensity of the UV rays.
What are we going to do?
Move the child into the shade or into a cool room and give them a cold drink. We treat sunburn or wind burn like any other burn. Cool the burnt area under a cold shower or in a cool bath, or sponge with cold water. Apply cool moist gauze padding to the burnt skin. Once the burning sensation has dissipated you could then apply some after sun/after burn products.
If there is blistering (especially on a small child) SEEK MEDICAL ADVICE.
If you child is restless, flushes, dizzy or has a temperature or headache, he may have heatstroke.
Heatstroke is a serious condition that develops if the body becomes overheated in hot surroundings. Treat for heatstroke if your child: develops a sudden headache; is confused; has hot flushed dry skin; has a full bounding pulse; is losing consciousness and has a temperature of over 40◦ C.
- Help your child to lie down in a cool place and remove all outer clothing. Put a folded towel or pillow under his head and reassure him. Call 000 for an ambulance.
- Sponge down your child repeatedly with cold or tepid water. Offer copious amounts of fluids.
- Fan your child by hand or with an electric fan or cover with a wet sheet and fan his body to help bring his temperature down. Continue cooling until his temperature is down to 38C.
Don’t forget to slip on a shirt, slop on the sunscreen, slap on a hat, slurp plenty of cool, clear water (forget the fizzy sugary stuff!) and have regular periods in the shade – especially during the middle of the day.
Important: If a baby or very young child develops heatstroke, undress him completely in a cool room. If your child loses consciousness, open his airway and check breathing. If breathing, place in recovery position; if not breathing, begin rescue breaths and chest compressions.
The best treatment for both these conditions is prevention.