What to Do When You Get a Sunburn

If you happen to avoid being in one of the 397,620 traffic accidents in Florida, then you’ll find yourself enjoying water parks, amusement parks, beaches, and so much more. 

However, if you’re not careful, your fun could be interrupted by bright red skin and the intense burning pain of a sunburn. Luckily, there are many ways to soothe this pain and allow the skin the chance to heal pretty quickly. Read on to learn about a few of them.

Cool Your Skin Down

Once you realize that you have a sunburn, you need to act quickly to kickstart the healing process and avoid as much pain as possible. Your first step in this process needs to be cooling down your skin. 

The hotter it is, the longer it will take to heal, so either wet a washcloth with cool water and lay it on the burn or soak in a cool bath with something like baking soda or oatmeal added in to help soothe and moisturize the affected skin. 

Stay with your cooling method of choice for about ten minutes before gently patting your skin dry. Rubbing will cause it to itch and reignite the burning pain. Do this multiple times a day for the most relief.

Moisturize the Burned Skin

Once you get out of the shower or bath, don’t dry yourself completely; it will help you moisturize your skin. Moisturizers hydrate the skin which aids in the healing process. It also makes the burns hurt less. You can put your aloe vera or soy lotions on at any point, but they’ll be most effective if used right after you’ve patted yourself dry. 

Some lotions are specifically designed to help soothe sunburns, meaning they are made with ingredients designed to specifically ease the pain and aid in healing. If you have some of this around, don’t forget to use it once in a while.

On top of the vibrant color, itchiness and pain, your sunburn will eventually start to peel as well. This is a good thing, as it means your body is shedding the old, dead skin in order to replace it. You still need to apply moisturizer during this process, but do so more gently. This skin will be sensitive, and you don’t want to cause yourself any undue pain.

Wear Loose Clothes

Unfortunately, your life can’t stop just because you have a sunburn. You’ll still have to take your classes, go to work, feed yourself, etc. You can make all of this easy on yourself by carrying some moisturizer with you and wearing loose clothing when possible. 

Even as it heals, your burn will be sensitive to touch, and too much constriction could cause issues as your skin tries to peel. Wearing slightly baggy shirts or pants gives your skin the space it needs to breathe and do what it needs to with little to no pain. 

At the bare minimum, avoid abrasive materials that could make your burn itchy. Not only would scratching the itch cause pain, but it’s also really distracting and irritating to deal with. When you have to wear uncomfortable clothing, try and wear something more tolerable underneath to at least save yourself from some itchiness.

Drink Water and Take Pain Relievers

Every time you get sick or injured, you’ll be given two pieces of advice: drink plenty of water and take OTC painkillers. The reason is simple: pain is awful and hydration will keep you feeling good and help your body heal itself. And since the main treatment for your sunburn is to keep the skin hydrated, it only makes sense for you to keep the rest of you hydrated as well.

If possible, you may want to avoid painkillers. It’s best to save them for other, less treatable pain like headaches. However, the best pain reliever for sunburns is cool water and moisturizer, which you may not have near you all of the time. If that’s the case, then stock up on an NSAID like ibuprofen and take some when the pain gets to be too much.

Avoid Further Sun Exposure

Once burned you need to protect your skin from the sun. That doesn’t mean you drive to work with more layers on than a vampire, though. It just means you need to prevent the sun from hitting your sunburn when possible. Failing to do this has two major consequences. 

For one, it can restart any pain you may have eased. Think about what happens if you, say, stub your toe and then accidentally drop something onto it later. It’s going to hurt far worse and for longer than it normally would because your toe hasn’t fully recovered from the first hit yet. A similar thing happens with sunburns.

The other reason why you should avoid the sun is to avoid making the burn worse. Sunburns have multiple degrees just like any burn, though a third degree is incredibly rare. Even so, you still don’t want to turn a first degree into a second or upgrade a second to a third.

Don’t Play With Blisters

If your burn is bad enough, you may get blisters. Don’t panic when this happens. While unsightly, they will heal on their own in time. Do not pop them for any reason. 

If they need to be messed with, leave that to a medical professional. If the blister is in a spot that may risk it getting popped then you can gently cover it with a bandage or gauze. 

Blister bandages may also be an option as they encourage it to disappear with medicines. If your blister pops then wash it with soap and water a few times a day. And don’t be surprised if there’s a scar left behind once the blister heals; this is normal.