Nothing can ruin a fun summer day faster than a sunburn. One minute you’re carefree and frolicking along the beach or lounging by the pool, and the next, you’re red as a lobster with tender skin that’s hot to the touch.
If you’ve already discovered the many benefits of using CBD for your skin, you may be wondering what else you can do with all those oils, tinctures and lotions. And with the hot sun bearing down on your skin all day, you may have asked, can I use CBD lotion for sunburn? Or can I use CBD for sensitive skin?
...when used as a topical, CBD oil has potential anti inflammatory properties that may help reduce the irritation associated with the inflammation accompanying your sunburn.
The answer is yes; you absolutely can slather your sunburn with your favorite CBD lotion. In fact, many of the potential benefits of CBD cream and lotions are directly applicable to helping you manage your sunburn.
Can I Use CBD Lotion For a Sunburn?
Regarding using CBD for sunburn, there’s one crucial bit of information that’s important to understand up front — we can’t say definitively whether CBD lotion or any other CBD product has proven medical benefits.
Although CBD products like CBD gummies, CBD tinctures, CBD ointment, CBD oil tanning lotion, CBD sunscreen and Cannabidiol-infused beauty and skincare products have been legally marketable in the United States since 2018,the risks and benefits of using it are somewhat under-researched.
But does CBD topical help sunburn? To gain insight into that question, you first have to understand two things: what a sunburn is and the general effects of CBD use that could benefit sunburn sufferers.
What Is a Sunburn?
Essentially, a sunburn occurs when your skin becomes inflamed after spending too much time exposed to ultraviolet (UVA and UVB rays) radiation from the sun. UV rays can damage the skin on a molecular level and have been linked to skin cancer. Sunburns can vary significantly in terms of severity, presenting symptoms that can range from mild to serious, such as:
- Red, hot skin
- Itching and dry skin
- Physical discomfort
- Blisters
Generally, sunburns begin to develop after only a few hours in the sun. In severe cases, the typical symptoms may be accompanied by:
- An uncomfortable, gritty feeling in your eyes
- Fever
- Stomach discomfort
- Fatigue
- Headaches
Even in mild cases, prolonged exposure to the sun that results in sunburns can lead to skin damage, like wrinkles, rough patches, dark spots and unhealthy skin cells.
To avoid unhealthy skin, prevention is key when it comes to sunburns. Therefore, you should limit your time in the sun and always wear sunblock when you’re outside.
Fortunately, several simple remedies can soothe your troubled skin when the sun does get the better of you. Among the things you can do at home to ease the symptoms of sunburn include:
- Anti-itch creams
- Corticosteroid creams
- Aloe vera gel
But what about CBD lotion for sunburn? Keep reading to find out how CBD lotion may be able to turn down the heat on your sunburn.
CBD Lotion May Help Fight Inflammation
As mentioned above, a sunburn is a sign that your skin has become inflamed due to the harmful effects of UVA and UVB radiation. But why does this happen?
It happens because radiation from the sun causes trauma to your skin, damaging and even killing cells just below the surface. In response, your body goes into survival mode, dilating your blood vessels to repair and replace damaged cells with healthy ones. It’s that chemical activity that causes the primary symptoms of a sunburn and redness in particular.
But does CBD help sunburn?
Fortunately, science is so far optimistic. Studies suggest that, when used as a topical, CBD oil has potential anti inflammatory properties that may help reduce the irritation associated with the inflammation accompanying your sunburn.
That could be good news for those who are prone to sunburn and wondering whether CBD lotion for sunburn might provide some relief.
CBD Lotion May Help Manage Physical Discomfort
Aside from redness and itching, sunburns can also be quite uncomfortable — as anyone who’s ever had one can tell you. This, too, is a side effect of the inflammation your skin experiences during a sunburn, as the fluid that carries new cells in response to sun damage can build up, causing swelling and putting pressure on sensitive nerves.
Therefore, CBD’s potential for preventing inflammation may, in and of itself, help manage your sunburn-associated discomfort, meaning you may be able to use CBD for sunburn symptom relief.
But there’s research to suggest that CBD may have relief benefits beyond its anti-inflammatory properties. Although, like so much about CBD, the subject is still being researched, a contingent of researchers believe that CBD interacts with your endocannabinoid system (ECS), a cell-signaling system in the human body that helps regulate things like:
- Your appetite
- Your memory
- Your reproductive functions
- Your mood
If you noticed a similarity between the words “endocannabinoid” and “cannabis,” then you’re very astute. In fact, the ECS was first discovered in the 1990s by scientists studying THC, the active chemical in marijuana that makes you feel “high.”
However, endocannabinoids are molecules that occur naturally in the human body, which means that your ECS works whether or not you use CBD. But researchers are curious about how CBD might affect the ECS because of the structural similarities between the endocannabinoids your body produces and the CBD found in hemp.
What researchers hypothesize about the relationship between CBD and the ECS is that CBD interacts with tiny proteins on your cells called receptors. This interaction causes a response that may potentially contribute to relief. For that reason, coating your auburn with a quality CBD lotion could possibly help alleviate some of the burning sensations associated with:
- Blisters
- Inflammation
- Swelling
CBD treatments for sunburn are often formulated with aloe vera gel. CBD and Aloe Vera may offer temporary soothing relief and help with swelling.
CBD Lotion May Help Keep Your Skin Healthy
In severe cases or if you don’t seek the proper treatment, your sunburn could become irritated. This is especially true during the peeling stage, when your newly uncovered skin can come into contact with microbes it’s too vulnerable to fight off.
Signs of post-sunburn issues include:
- Extreme swelling
- Burning
- Red streaks around open blisters
The good news is, irritated sunburns are relatively rare. But if your sunburn does become irritated, you should consult your doctor right away.
That said, you may be able to ward off microbes that can irritate your sunburned skin by applying a bit of CBD lotion.
This is because CBD is believed to have properties that could kill germs that can make you sick. In fact, there’s research to suggest that CBD may be able to fight over 20 different kinds of gram-positive microbes — even some that are resistant to other antibiotics.
Thanks to its antimicrobial potential, using a CBD lotion for sunburn may help prevent skin irritation that can occur.
Can you use CBD lotion if you have sensitive skin? For more answers about CBD for sensitive skin, visit our blog today.
Support Sun-Kissed Skin With Zebra CBD
Can you use CBD lotion for sunburn? Yes, you can. But it’s important that you use a lotion
from a company you can trust.
With guaranteed label accuracy and products that have been tested multiple times by objective third parties, Zebra CBD is that company. Our plethora of CBD oils and CBD topicalshelp to provide relief and support full-body health.
Shop our collection today.
Source:
Findlaw.com. Is CBD Legal? https://www.findlaw.com/criminal/criminal-law-basics/is-cbd-legal.html
MD Anderson Center. What Happens to Your Skin When You Get a Sunburn. https://www.mdanderson.org/publications/focused-on-health/What-happens-to-your-skin-when-you-get-a-sunburn.h24Z1591413.html#
Harvard Health Publishing. The Endocannabinoid System: Essential and Mysterious. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-endocannabinoid-system-essential-and-mysterious-202108112569
Mayo Clinic. Sunburn. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sunburn/symptoms-causes/syc-20355922
Nature. The Antimicrobial Potential of Cannabidiol. https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-020-01530-y
