The weather is warming up, which means that many of us are going to be spending hours upon hours outdoors soaking in the sun. But, as we all know, being outside in the sun gives us a decent risk of ending up with a sunburn. While most sunburns are benign, not requiring medical attention, they’re still painful, uncomfortable and unsightly to look at. Fortunately, cannabidiol (CBD) may be able to act as a natural solution should you end up with sunburnt skin.
What is a Sunburn?
A sunburn is an area of the skin that is red, itchy and painful due to direct exposure to the sun. It’s caused by the sun’s UV light which penetrates skin tissue, resulting in skin damage that can take several days to heal. Sunburns can vary in size, severity of symptoms and duration of symptoms, depending on how much sun exposure the person received, how long they received it for, how sensitive they are to UV light and how much skin was exposed.
When Sunburns Need Medical Attention
Most sunburns are relatively mild, and even heal on their own without the need for medical intervention. However, there are severe cases in which a sunburn can lead to fever, infection and severe blistering. If your sunburn is causing debilitating symptoms, you should seek medical attention immediately – especially if you have a high fever or suspect that the sunburn has become infected. These cases are very rare, and usually result from extreme sun exposure for a long duration of time.
Can CBD Help with Sunburn Symptoms?
Even if you have a relatively mild sunburn, the discomfort it can cause will likely make you long for relief. Sunburn symptoms such as redness, itching, peeling skin, pain, tenderness and burning can be a challenge to deal with during the day, and make it difficult to sleep at night.
The good news is that if you have some CBD on hand, you’re in luck. Studies show that cannabidiol, when applied topically, can reduce physical discomfort, swelling, tenderness, burning and itching thanks to its combined analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties that penetrate the skin tissue within just minutes of application. Best of all, its effects can last for an entire 6 hours at a time, meaning that you can experience sustained relief as you go about your day or night. And, CBD is nontoxic, so you can apply it liberally multiple times a day to keep sunburn symptoms under control.
Using CBD for a Sunburn: What to Know
Anyone out there looking to now use CBD to manage sunburn symptoms, there several key things that you will need to remember in order to get as much out of this cannabinoid as possible.
- Topical is the Way to Go: While taking CBD internally, like in the form of a gummy or tincture can be useful, to really tackle those symptoms head on, you’ll need to apply it topically. We recommend a CBD topical formula made to be applied to the skin, such as a balm, cream, salve or gel.
- Milligram Strength Matters: The higher the milligram strength of your CBD topical, the more potent its effects will be. Don’t worry about applying too many milligrams of CBD at once – you’re applying it topically, so its chances of making you feel drowsy are almost zero.
- As Always, Look for Lab Reports: Whenever you buy a hemp product, you should look for third-party lab reports provided by the retailer, which prove that the product was tested by a third-party laboratory for quality, purity, potency and safety, as well as full compliance with federal law.
- Be Consistent for Maximum Effectiveness: It’s always ideal to apply your topical consistently to maintain the relieving effects you’re seeking out, and to allow the cannabinoid to really build up in the tissue of the skin to maximize its full potential.
Yes, CBD Can Help
Sunburns are unpleasant at best and debilitatingly painful at worst. But, the good news is that there are remedies out there that can help you as your skin heals, including topical CBD products, which our customers swear by this time of year. We encourage you to find a topical formula that can be used to help with the symptoms of sunburn, as well as all kinds of topical symptoms that you may encounter this summer.
