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With the world connected by travel and internet, the time of the year is no longer a limiting factor on taking a vacation to a warm spot.
When I think of traveling to a warm destination, the first thing that comes to mind is the beach! Think of all the tropical vacation commercials you have ever seen, and it will become clear why you have that particular picture in your mind as well. Unfortunately, what is not relayed through the commercials is the level of heat one is exposed to from the sun directly and surrounding environment secondarily.
If the commercials were true to reality in every sense of the way, you would experience the blistering burning sand on the bottom of your feet, uncomfortable tight skin on top of your feet and ankles and dry dehydrated skin.
Of course, one does not experience all of these at the same time…. At least I hope you never do. So, what must you do to avoid these injuries and finally enjoy your time on the beach? Well let’s talk about it…
Big picture
Every year, approximately 1 million people will experience skin burn trauma.
What to do if you have a skin burn?
If you do end up with a burn, the treatment will depend on your overall health and degree/depth of skin injury. The main goal is to reduce infection and further skin damage. Washing the injured area with cool temperature water and apply a moist sterile gauze should be first course treatment.
After that, you have to make your way to the nearest urgent care or emergency room for further treatment. Do not walk on the burned skin as it will produce more damage to already fragile tissue. Skin naturally prevents water loss, so keeping hydrated becomes very important with increasing skin coverage loss.
But what is so special about skin?
Skin has several very important functions, as it :
1. largest and one of the most sophisticated organs we have!
2. acts as an infection barrier and prevents bacterial invasion
-if bacteria invade through the skin, it may not stay in the area of invasion and, in fact, may spread all over the body including other organs.
3. essential for water balance regulation
4. protects us from Sun’s radiation
5. helps to regulate our body temperature
6. helps us get rid of toxic metabolic by-products
7. has special cells that allow us to feel our world
When thinking of body surface, it is important to remember that it is made of skin, hair, nails, glands, and nerves! All of these become affected with burns.
Sunburn and sand burns
Depending on the time of the day you visit the beach, the sand temperature will vary. Sand tends to be the hottest between 11 am and 3 pm, as this is the time when sun is the highest in the sky allowing for direct sunlight with most exposure. In fact, 3pm is considered to be, generally, the hottest time of the day! So, it would make sense to visit the beach before or soon after this time period.
At what temperature does skin burn happen?
It depends on the temperature of the sand as well as on how long you spend standing on it. Healthy skin can get burned at the temperature as low as 109-110 degrees Fahrenheit. Burns can likely happen at even slightly lower temperature under certain conditions like reduced humidity or increased pressure onto the ground from heavy weight.
As an example, the sand is great at retaining heat. So, the temperature of the sand is likely to be much higher than the temperature in the air. This is not frequently posted on the beach but must be remembered! Other than the sun heating up the sand, there have been multiple reports of people created localized elevated sand temperature created by human activity.
These include bearing hot coals in the sand after barbequing or simply having a barbeque grill positioned right above the sand. The sand will continue to be significantly hotter in these areas and the temperature will remain elevated for hours!
Thus, it is essential to properly dispose of coals and to barbecue in designated areas only to avoid trauma to self as well as those unsuspecting beach visitors. This is particularly true for kids who like to dig in the sand and may be exposed to burning hot temperatures.
In addition, travelers frequently report that walking a white sandy beach of Florida and Australia does not feel as hot as some of the black sand beaches of Hawaiian Islands. The temperature difference has to do with the color of the sand, of course.
White colored sand absorbs less heat and light radiation and also reflects more of this heat and light back to the environment!
Research shows that the skin of hands is more sensitive to temperature than of feet. Feel the sand with your hand first before making the first step to avoid burns!
This is also why wearing white colored clothing helps you to feel cooler during summer days.
The salt factor
Salt content of sand and water is also an important issue to consider…
Oceans tend to have higher salt content than seas.
In terms of tourist destinations, unless you are planning to visit Don Juan pond in Antarctica, Dead sea is the saltiest known bodies of water on Earth.
Salt dehydrates by pulling the water out of the tissue!
This is why it is frequently used as a preservative in foods and for swelling reduction in baths.
Prolonged exposure on the skin, however, will result in skin wrinkling, excessive dryness and fragility.
The SPF factor?
If you have ever used a sunscreen, you have seen the letters SPF on the tube. SPF actually stands for sun protection factor. The number next to those letters indicates how long it would take the sun would take to make your skin red as compared when using no sunscreen.
For exam, using sun block with SPF 15 number, the lowest recommend number, would result in sun’s damaging UVB rays needing to work 15 times longer to damage the skin.
According to Skin Cancer Foundation (skincancer.org), SPF 30 blocks 97% of UVB radiation, SPF 50 blocks 98%, and SPF 100 blocks 99%
There are different compounds that are using to manufacture the sun screen. Some are called physical and others chemical sun screens. The Physical ones block and scatter sun rays. The chemical ones absorb sun rays before they can get through the skin.
Lack of use of sun screens results in premature skin aging, skin discoloration, wrinkling, and predisposes to formation of skin cancers like melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma.
Proper rehydration and applications of sun screen and moisturizers can help combat salt exposure produced water loss and will prevent skin from being damaged.
It is important to remember that most sun screens require time to be absorbed into the skin. You will frequently read the label instructing you to wait 15 minutes before going for a swim. Also, it is important to reapply frequently!
So, when going to the beach:
· Try to visit the beach during cooler hours of the day to avoid skin damage from sunburn as well as excessive heat coming from walking surfaces. This is especially important if your skin is fragile (children and elderly) or may become compromised (people with decreased sensation or poor circulation).
· Wear protective shoe gear when walking on the sand (flip flops, water shoes, sandals)
· Use sun screen and moisturizer on all sun exposed areas, not forgetting to apply on your feet and ankles (including your soles) and reapply after every swim and every few hours.
· Keep hydrating to combat dehydrating effect of the sun with non-sugary, non-caffeinated drinks to prevent water loss. Remember many teas, energy drinks and sodas have caffeine as well. Check caffeine content of the snacks as well! Proper hydration may also help with prevention of heat exposure related cramping resulting in water and mineral loss.
· Take a cool shower or bath after returning from the beach to reduce skin inflammation and combat swelling produced by heat. Hot sun increases skin perfusion by widening skin blood vessels.
· Feel it with your hand before walking on it barefoot
· Check the area for evidence of beach fire pits and barbecuing activity and avoid those area when you are not wearing shoes
· If you are going for a walk on the beach, you should make an effort to walk on the shoreline where the water will cool the hot surface.
· If you have an infant, even sun reflection from the water and sand on delicate skin not protected with sun screen can result in burns. This can occur even if you are doing your best by keeping an infant in a shade.
Sometimes it is difficult to establish the extent of burn injury by observation alone and skin may be changing 24-48 hours after the burn occurred.
Depending on the degree of damage, you may be treated with antibiotics, anti-inflammatory and pain medications, skin grafts, skin substitutes, or other wound care modalities. The duration of therapy will depend on the size and depth of injury, as well as other health factors that may be delaying wound healing.
In some cases, you may even need to stay in the hospital to receive proper burn care. This is particularly true for individuals who have diabetes, as they have weakened immune system and delayed healing response which predisposes them to infections and extends course of therapy. People with poor circulation are at risk as well, as they may end up with gangrene and non-healing wounds. Individuals with very poor kidney function and heart failure as at increased risk as well because of compromised fresh blood delivery to the site of injury. Of course, those who have weak immune system because of medications they take or medical condition they are living with are at extremely high risk as well.
So, a minor injury may turn into a major problem if the body’s ability to heal and fight infection is compromised!
Remember, prevention of injury is the best medicine!
Take care of your feet and your skin and you will have a very enjoyable and needed vacation!
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Until next time….Have a great time at the beach!
My name is Dr. Marat Kazak. I have been working as a professional
Podiatrist serving Northern California community since 2014. My extensive
medical and surgical knowledge combined with an ongoing curiosity to learn
about the latest trends define my success in the field of foot, ankle and leg
medical and surgical care.
The goal of this website is to give you the tools to better care for yourself,
to dispel medical myths, and to empower you with information to save time
and money! If you are looking for an answer on foot and ankle pain, this is the
place to find it. If you do not see your topic of interest covered, please send
me a message and I will do my best to discuss it thoroughly in my next
upcoming post.
Visit this blog often to learn about latest developments, treatments, and
approaches to healing and recovery!