Sun warning
Sunburn
If your skin is already red and sore, cooling gels, moisturising creams and after-sun lotions can help. Note: don’t go straight back into the sun once your skin has just recovered! Stay in the shade for at least a day, or cover up the burned areas with light clothing. The strength of the sun is often underestimated at the seaside, as there is almost always a light breeze blowing. You should therefore thoroughly protect yourself with sunscreen, even if the sun doesn’t feel all that hot. Small children require a higher sunburn protection factor than adults (at least SPF 25). You should cover your head and neck with a hat or towel.
Insect bites
A gel which cools and alleviates itching should be part of all first-aid kits. To prevent bites, you can apply insect repellent to your skin.
Tick bites
There have been no known cases so far in Schleswig-Holstein of the dreaded TBE infection being transmitted by ticks. Doctors therefore advise against having a vaccination against it. If you discover a tick which has bitten you, you should remove it immediately. Follow this procedure for doing so: grab the tick with a pair of tweezers or your fingernails as close as possible to your skin, carefully loosen its grip. Then slowly pull it out using a twisting motion. Do not squash the tick as you do so! Keep an eye on the area of your skin and seek medical advice if any after-effects should appear.
Contact with jellyfish
Some years, very few jellyfish are seen in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea; other years there are many. The most common is the moon jellyfish. This has a weak venom which only triggers a reaction in very sensitive people. You should beware of the lion’s mane jellyfish, the tentacles of which cause burns. If you come into contact with one in the water, remain calm, carefully shake the animal off and go onto land. Don’t rub the skin, don’t touch any remaining tentacles with your hands, and don’t pour fresh water or alcohol over the area! At monitored beaches, the DLRG lifeguards have shaving foam available which can be used to bind the venom with in order to then scrape it off. Vinegar also has a neutralising effect. If you have nothing else to hand, scatter sand on the affected area and after a while carefully scrape it off with a knife or a similar object (e.g. a credit card). Afterwards, cool down the skin.
