Suggest Treatment For Sun Burn Of Left Lower Leg

Posted on Fri, 23 May 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 23 May 2014 Answered on

Thu, 12 Jun 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : My husband sunburned his left lower leg really bad. It appears to be sun poisoning. He now has a large open area (one layer of skin gone) which has a yellow exudate. He has been using anti-inflammatories and a salve with Lidocaine. He has also been keeping it elevated. It becomes very swollen as the day wears on. Is there anything else we need to be doing?

Answered by Dr. Chobufo Ditah (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Please, get it evaluated by a physician!

Detailed Answer:
Hi and thank you so much for this query.

I am so sorry to hear about this sun burn and the current wound that your husband has. Given his past history of quadruple bypass surgery, I am concerned that the blood supply to the legs may not be at its best. This can greatly compromise healing efforts and require extra care. Also, with a large surface exposed already, asepsy has to be intensified so as to prevent super infection that would make it an even more difficult task. If he keeps this leg sufficiently elevated, how comes it gets very swollen as the day wears? Please, he should do this as much as possible.

For now, I recommend that you strongly consider getting this leg examined and managed accordingly as healing may not be a straight forward as it should be. If this evaluation concludes there is nothing to worry about, it is better to know so than continuing in the dark. This is a second degree burn and needs meticulous evaluation and management because of the size of the area. Can you attach a photograph for me to appreciate this firsthand as well?

I hope this helps. I wish your husband well and thank you so much for using our services. Feel free to ask for more information and clarification if need be.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar