Connect With A Dermatologist Near You
A Facebook post went viral when a woman named Cindi Allen-Stewart posted a few photos and a simple home trick for sunburn on her facebook page. She certainly wasn’t expecting the response she got when her post was shared nearly 4,000 times in the first day. A week later, her post had gathered more than 200,000 shares and 45,000 comments. Also, her post was featured in so many news outlets and magazines.
Sunburn is a very common and painful skin condition, most especially during the summer. It is caused by prolonged exposure to the ultraviolet lights of the sun and can lead to skin blisters, redness, extremely sensitive skin and other symptoms. Some people are prone to sunburn, no matter how much sunscreen they put on, they just can’t escape it. Risk factors for sunburn include:
- Having a family history of skin cancer
- Pale or white skin
- Living in a hot country where the sun is intense and
- Moles on the body.
Currently, there is no cure for sunburn, and most home remedies work differently for people, offering varying success in alleviating this skin condition. Therefore, it was no surprise why this post got so many people’s attention.
So, what is this simple trick that sent the Facebook users into a frenzy mode?
She explained her mother-in-law passed down the trick she learned from her doctor 40 years ago, and although she used to take up to two weeks to heal from painful, peeling and blistering sunburns, the shaving cream trick saved her and her kids from sunburned summers.
She told her friend who had never heard about the sunburn treatment that works wonders and decided it will be a good idea to make a post because “I was sunburned recently. Usually, it takes just a couple days from start to finish, but this takes the heat out of it fast and makes it more comfortable on you”, she wrote.
Here are some of the instructions she wrote down
First, get any Menthol foam shaving cream. It has to be the foam and it has to have menthol in it. She chose to use Gillette shaving cream which she bought on Amazon since she had problems finding menthol foam in stores. “We ended up buying 6 cans of it, but it works out because we live in Texas and sunburns happen a lot. (Plus, we have given a couple cans to friends.)” She wrote
Next, apply the shaving cream on the burn. It may seem like it’s a strange shaving ritual but trust me! Don’t rub it in, just let it sit on your skin. It will start bringing all that heat out (you’ll be able to feel it). You may feel like you are itchy too, but that’s a good thing! Itching means healing.
Then, after about 30 minutes, the shaving cream will seem like it has dissolved in spots. It will seem like it’s not as moist and a little dried out. You will feel as if you’re becoming a little cold, at least on the sunburned part of your body. That is always a good sign!!
Next, rinse it off in a lukewarm or cool shower or bath. It’s just to get the residue off.
For a bad burn, Allen-Stewart recommended redoing the procedure the following day, but most times, she said, the burn will be gone within several hours of the shaving cream treatment.
Along with her instructions, Allen-Stewart posted photos of her back taken after a recent sunburn. In the first photo, her back is red with visible sunburn lines where straps had been. The second photo shows her back slathered in shaving cream, and the final photo was taken “the third day after my sunburn,” when her back looks much better. Judging from the pictures she posted, it was certain the tricks work for her.
The question is, is this treatment legit? Is there any research or study to support this trick?
Dr. Susan Chon, a board-certified dermatologist at MD Anderson Cancer Center, agreed: “Burned skin is like a wound,” she told TODAY. “You don’t want to put all kinds of stuff on there. You could probably put a lot of things on your skin that is soothing. But if you have a more severe sunburn, you’d probably be better off taking ibuprofen”.
Dr. Ross Radusky of SoHo Skin and Laser Dermatology in New York City explained to InsideEdition.com why the simple trick works.
“If you look at the ingredients of shaving cream, it’s really a great moisturizer,” Radusky said. “It has a lot of coconut oil, coconut butter or derivatives of it. That’s actually what gives it some of its thickness and why you sort of lather it on.”
Radusky explained, “Your skin is made up of almost 70 percent water, so you can imagine if you’re blistering and you’re causing those cells to separate, all that water is going to evaporate and you can feel signs of dehydration, light-headedness, headache.”
Above all, he emphasized the importance of covering up and wearing proper sunblock to prevent a burn, as well as long-term damage.
“The other part is burning can actually cause skin cancer, the more sun exposure you get, the more likely you are to develop this,” Radusky said. “The most important thing is to try and avoid the sun as best as you can.”
Common home ingredients such as Aloe Vera, jojoba oil, Vitamin E, Shea butter, corn-starch, vinegar, can help reduce inflammation and eliminate infections from bacteria.
Allen-Stewart made few edits to her post and stated her position again: “PSA: Please remember to always use sunscreen! Too much sun exposure can be dangerous and lead to cancer,” she wrote. “I burn with sunscreen as well and know of the hassle, but it is worth it to wear it!”
Find a Dermatologist Near Me
Connect With A Dermatologist Near You
References
Cindie Allen-Stewart. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/shindii.ruiizu/posts/2305276652832404
Sitzes, J. (2018). 6 Sunburn Remedies That Work Better Than That Viral Shaving Cream Hack. Retrieved from https://www.prevention.com/beauty/skin-care/a21986350/sunburn-shaving-cream-hack/
Street, C. (2018). Can shaving cream cure sunburn?. Retrieved from https://www.standard.co.uk/beauty/sunburn-with-shaving-foam-a3874406.html
