Sunburn
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Milk for Sunburn: Is Milk Good for Sunburn Relief?

Written by Margaret David, BSc, MSc, PhD

May 27th, 2020

Nobody likes sunburns. However, people seem to believe that sunburns are a “necessary evil” in order to get the perfect tan. The truth is, sunburns are “evil”, but they could be prevented from causing other complications to our dear skin. The burns that occur on our skin because of long exposures to the sun happen to be the damage to our DNA caused by UV light, which eventually causes the cells to die. When this happens, the body releases pro-inflammatory proteins, which cause swelling, pains, redness, and, most of all, inflammation.

In this article, we’ll talk about one of the sunburn remedies, Milk.

Milk for Sunburn

Milk for Sunburn

People tend to reach out for moisturizers to help soothe the pain, but unknown to us, there is something that can do this better, and that is milk. Instead of making use of moisturizers, a better option would be to soak a piece of clean cloth in cold skim milk and use it as a compress.

The reason it needs to be cold is so it can pull the heat from the skin, giving it the chance to easily pass on vitamins A and D, which are antioxidants that heal the skin. The availability of lactic acid in milk can help remove some of the dead skin cells from the body as well (1).

Milk is also known to be part of many skin care products. It is known to moisturize and hydrate the skin and it contains a series of healthy nutrients.

Milk for other skin benefits

Milk contains a variety of essential nutrients. Here are some of the benefits that these nutrients in milk can have on the skin:

Selenium: Fights against free radicals that cause the skin to age. This keeps the skin young and helps fight against free radicals that cause damage to the skin.

Lactic acid: This moisturizes, nourishes, and hydrates the skin, keeping it looking youthful and fresh.

Magnesium: Slows down the aging process of the skin, keeping its youth.

Calcium: This also fights against the activity of free radicals, boosts the production of collagen, and promotes the elasticity of the skin.

Potassium: This solves the problem of dry and itchy skin by hydrating and moisturizing the skin.

Vitamin A: This treats peeling, dry, and flaky skin and boosts the production of new cells.

Vitamin D: This also boosts the production of collagen, thereby reducing the production of wrinkles. It fades dark spots and reduces acne.

Vitamin B12: It has lightening properties and heals uneven skin.

Biotin: This helps with the revitalization of cracked and dry skin.

Protein: This helps the skin become strong and wrinkle-free.

Vitamin B6: This is very important for the formation of new skin cells and keeps the skin healthy and moisturized.

Black tea, yogurt, and oatmeal are also used in skincare products and share some of the benefits of milk.

Bottom Line

Although you shouldn’t get sunburns in the first place and should pay more attention to how long you spend in the sun and how you get the tan you dream of when it happens you should know that cold milk could help. Folk medicine says it is a natural and easy method for relieving sunburns and keeping the skin healthy. If there is anything that can help with nature, it is nature.

Margaret David, BSc, MSc, PhD

Margaret David has a PhD in Cognitive & Experimental Psychology from Yeshiva University, an MSc in Research Methods and a BSc in...Read more

Evidence Based

This article is based on scientific evidence, and written, fact-checked & medically reviewed by health experts.

Throughout this article, you’ll find scientific references (highly trusted peer-reviewed scientific papers, links denoted by the numbers in the parentheses (1, 2, 3)).