Disclaimer: No, I’m not seeking official medical advice, just some information from other dopers who have gone through the same thing
Last Saturday I worked at the Vans Warped Tour (aka the emo festival). I was outdoors from 6:45AM until 8:45PM, and as a result, have the worst sunburn on my face, neck, arms and hands in my entire life. Yesterday I picked up a bottle of Rite Aid Aloe Vera Gel, and so far have used about 1/4 of the bottle. The other weird side effect is that I have not only not eaten anything since Saturday night (going on 36 hours now), but I’ve had no appetite at all. Even when I had the Flu back in February, I still had to eat a piece of toast every couple hours. Is this a normal side effect of a severe sunburn, or is something totally different going on here?
Also, I still somewhat look like Elmo. How long does it usually take for my skin to get back to a natural color (I’m normally VERY pale)? It’s important because I need to do some more job seeking this week and I’m not going to put myself out there while I still look like a freak of nature.
Are you blistering/blistered? If so, you should probably go and see a Dr. pronto.
Loss of appetite can be a symptom of heat exhaustion which could linger for a couple of days.
Really, depending on how bad the burn is, you should really go and see someone - a second degree burn on that much of your body can turn somewhat serious.
BTW - the redness will probably last at least a week, depending on how bad it is and then you can expect to start peeling. Sexy.
FWIW, I have had a bad sunburn and it didn’t affect my appetite. I hope you are drinking plenty of water whether you feel hungry/thirsty or not. That just seems like a good idea. The loss of appetitie might be more of a dehydration/ heat exhaustion thing. Also, be generous with the aloe vera.