The sun brightens your mood and helps your body produce vitamin D. But spend too much time roasting in those rays and you risk sunburn and worse.
Sunburn isn’t just reddened skin that might peel after a few days. It really is a burn, because that warm, bright sunshine you may love to bask in is composed of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, explains Ahuva Cices, MD, a Mount Sinai dermatologist.
You have a built-in source of protection against that radiation in the form of melanin, a pigment that gives skin its color. If you tan in the sun, that’s melanin at work. But what you may think is a healthy tan actually is a sign that your skin has been damaged by the sun. We know this immune response as sunburn.
The best sunburn relief strategy is to limit your sun exposure and avoid a sunburn in the first place. If you do get mildly sunburned, a number of self-help strategies can cool your skin and soothe the discomfort. But more severe sunburn warrants calling your doctor.
Sunburn Symptoms and Risks
Sunburn symptoms develop about four hours after exposure, worsen during the next six to 48 hours, and begin to subside in three to five days.
Mild sunburn causes the skin to feel hot to the touch, tender, and itchy. “People with lighter skin tones will notice that their skin is pinkish or red, but in darker skin, color changes may not be appreciated,” Dr. Cices says. “It is common to develop superficial skin peeling three to eight days after sun exposure.”
More severe sunburn causes pain, swollen skin, and blisters. If your sunburn affects a large area of skin, you can develop headache, fever, and nausea. Recovery from more severe sunburn ranges from several days to three weeks.
“Even though its effects may not last long, sunburn matters because the more often you burn in the sun, the greater your risk for developing skin cancer,” Dr. Cices warns. “In fact, research shows that sustaining five or more sunburns more than doubles your risk of melanoma, the most lethal form of skin cancer and increases the risk of non-melanoma skin cancers.” So, sunburn prevention is the best form of skin cancer prevention.
Dr. Cices adds that sunburn also can contribute to dehydration throughout the body because the immune system responds to the burn by diverting fluid to the skin’s surface to speed up healing.
Sunburn is most likely to affect fair-skinned people, especially if they have light-colored eyes and blond or red hair, but even darker-skinned people can get a sunburn. Keep in mind that your risk of sunburn also rises if you take medications that increase your skin’s sensitivity to the sun. These medications include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), and naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), as well as some blood pressure medications, antidepressants, and antibiotics.
“The fact these drugs increase photosensitivity will be noted on the packaging or medication guide, but if you are at all unsure, check with your doctor or pharmacist,” Dr. Cices advises.
Immediate Steps for Sunburn Relief
If you’ve been out in the sun and notice that your skin is red and feels hot, seek the shade—don’t just apply sunscreen in the hope it will prevent further burning, since the product may irritate your skin.
If you are able to take a shower or bath, do so, but don’t use cold water to cool off: Stick to lukewarm, and avoid using scented shower gel or bath products. “If your shower head is adjustable, select a gentle flow setting to avoid irritating painful skin,” says Dr. Cices. “Don’t rub your skin dry with a towel afterward. Gently pat it until it is slightly damp. Then apply an after-sun lotion or aloe vera gel to hydrate and cool your skin.”
An over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream can relieve itching, too. If your skin is painful, try taking acetaminophen (Tylenol).
And, because of sunburn’s dehydrating effects, “Be sure to drink plenty of water if you get a sunburn and during and after spending time in the sun,” Dr. Cices advises.
Home Remedies for Soothing Sunburn
Many anecdotal reports suggest that applying cold milk, yogurt, and cool green tea can help soothe sunburn, but Dr. Cices strongly recommends avoiding these options in case they further damage your skin. Instead, follow these proven strategies to soothe discomfort and itching and speed up healing:
- Apply a cool compress. Since sunburn is a burn, it makes sense that cooling the skin may bring relief. “A cool compress can be as simple as a towel soaked in tap-cold water, but something else you may want to try is keeping your lotion or aloe vera gel in the refrigerator,” Dr. Cices says.
- Keep using aloe vera. “It helps relieve irritation from sunburn because it contains aloin, an anti-inflammatory compound,” she explains.
- Keep skin hydrated. You can use a regular moisturizer directly on the skin or on top of aloe vera products to increase hydration in the skin. “The best time to apply a moisturizer is immediately after the shower to lock in hydration,” Dr. Cices advises. “When skin is damaged from a sunburn, I also recommend reapplying moisturizer before bed and first thing in the morning.”
What to Avoid When Treating Sunburn
Although it may be tempting to apply ice to sunburned skin, don’t. The intense cold may further damage your skin. Also, avoid products that contain local anesthetics, such as benzocaine and lidocaine, since they can have a drying effect and may cause allergic reactions. And while your mother might have recommended applying petroleum jelly or even butter to your skin, they aren’t good options for immediate sunburn relief either, since both form a barrier that traps heat in your skin at a time when you want to cool it.
If your skin starts to peel a few days after getting burned, Dr. Cices recommends leaving it alone and continuing to hydrate the skin with emollients. “Exfoliating or peeling the skin off yourself risks irritating the tender, partly healed skin beneath,” she cautions. “Similarly, you should avoid popping any blisters that form, since popping them could result in an infection. Cover them with gauze or a bandage so that they can heal on their own. This allows the skin to provide natural protection.”
When to Seek Medical Attention
Mild-to-moderate sunburn is something you can manage yourself at home, but you should contact your doctor if sunburn is more severe and especially painful, and/or if more than 15% of your body is blistered (as a rough guide, your upper and lower back and buttocks constitute about 18% of your skin). Blisters on the face also warrant a call to the doctor.
Seek medical help if you become dehydrated (signs include darker urine and less frequent urination), develop a fever exceeding 101°F, feel nauseated, experience vomiting, or if your sunburn pain persists for longer than 24 hours and worsens.
“Sunburn symptoms that are getting worse even though you are taking steps to cool and soothe the burn could indicate sun poisoning, a term used to describe severe sunburn,” Dr. Cices says. “Babies and young children are more susceptible to sun poisoning due to sunburn, as are people taking drugs that increase the skin’s sensitivity to the sun.”
Sunburn Prevention Is Skin Cancer Prevention
The best sunburn relief policy of all is avoidance. Seek the shade whenever and wherever possible, and try to avoid spending time in the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when sun exposure is most intense. If you are spending time outside, use a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30 on any exposed skin if you are spending time outdoors.
“A broad-spectrum product is best, since it will protect against both UV-A and UV-B rays,” Dr. Cices explains. “UV-A rays penetrate deep into the skin and contribute to skin cancer as well as skin aging, while UV-B rays are responsible for sunburn and skin cancer.”
She adds that cloudy skies shouldn’t cause you to skip sunscreen, because some of the sun’s UV rays still penetrate clouds. “And be sure to use enough sunscreen,” she advises. “Studies suggest that most of us don’t. A good guide is to imagine filling a shot glass with sunscreen—that’s how much you should be aiming to use for the body.”
When applying sunscreen, don’t forget easily overlooked areas like the backs of your hands and in between your fingers, and the tops of your feet and your toes if wearing sandals. For your face and neck, Dr. Cices recommends following the two-finger-lengths rule: Squeeze a line of sunscreen the full length of your index and middle fingers, and use it to fully cover your face, including your eyelids, lips, and ears. If you don’t like wearing sunhats, be sure to apply sunscreen all the way up to your hairline. Apply another finger-length of sunscreen to your neck (front and back).
“Reapply sunscreen every two hours and after contact with water, such as swimming or profuse sweating,” Dr. Cices adds. Take it from us—these precautions will help you avoid painful sunburn and also significantly reduce your risk of skin cancer.
