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Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
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Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffOnce sunburn occurs, you can't do much to limit damage to your skin. However, the following tips may reduce your pain and discomfort in the hours and days following sunburn:
- Take anti-inflammatory medication, such as aspirin or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others), on a regular basis according to the label instructions until redness and soreness subside. Use caution when giving aspirin to children or teenagers. Though aspirin is approved for use in children older than age 2, children and teenagers recovering from chickenpox or flu-like symptoms should never take aspirin. This is because aspirin has been linked to Reye's syndrome, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition, in such children. Talk to your doctor if you have concerns.
- Apply cold compresses — such as a towel dampened with cool tap water — to the affected skin. Or take a cool bath or shower.
- Apply a moisturizing cream, aloe vera lotion or hydrocortisone cream to affected skin. A low-dose (0.5 percent to 1 percent) hydrocortisone cream may decrease pain and swelling, and speed up healing.
- If blisters form, don't break them. They contain your natural body fluid (serum) and are a protective layer. Also, breaking blisters slows the healing process and increases the risk of infection. If needed, lightly cover blisters with gauze. If blisters break on their own, apply an antibacterial cream.
- Drink plenty of fluids. Sun exposure and heat can cause fluid loss through your skin. Be sure to replenish those fluids to prevent dehydration — when your body doesn't have enough water and other fluids to carry out its normal functions.
- Treat peeling skin gently. Within a few days, the affected area may begin to peel. This is simply your body's way of getting rid of the top layer of damaged skin. While your skin is peeling, continue to use moisturizing cream.
Some products — such as topical "-caine" products, for example, benzocaine — claim to relieve sunburn pain. Some dermatologists warn against using these products because they can irritate the skin or cause an allergic reaction.
References
- Facts about sunscreen. American Academy of Dermatology. http://www.aad.org/media/background/factsheets/fact_sunscreen.htm. Accessed March 2, 2009.
- Sun and your skin. American Academy of Dermatology. http://www.aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/sun_sun.html. Accessed March 2, 2009.
- Habif TP. Light-related diseases and disorders of pigmentation. In: Habif TP. Clinical Dermatology: A Color Guide to Diagnosis and Therapy. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby; 2004. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/123287021-7/0/1195/129.html?tocnode=51442195&fromURL=129.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-01319-8..50021-2_2348. Accessed March 2, 2009.
- Wolf K, et al. Photosensitivity, photo-induced disorders and disorders by ionizing radiation. In: Wolf K, et al. Fitzpatrick's Color Atlas & Synopsis of Clinical Dermatology, 5th ed. The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc; 2005. http://www.accessmedicine.com. Accessed March 3, 2009.
- Mahoney KR (expert opinion). Food and Drug Administration, Rockville, Md. Feb. 4, 2009.
- Internal analgesic, antipyretic and antirheumatic drug products for over-the-counter human use: Tentative final monograph. Federal Register.1998;53:46204.
- Parenting corner Q&A: Sun safety. American Academy of Pediatrics. http://www.aap.org/publiced/BR_SunSafety.htm. Accessed March 3, 2009.
- Rouhani P, et al. Melanoma in Hispanic and black Americans. Cancer Control. 2008;15:248.
- Skin cancer: Questions and answers. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/chooseyourcover/qanda.htm. Accessed March 3, 2009.
- Brice S, et al. Sunburn. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 4, 2009.
- Gibson LE (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 20, 2009.
