How to Treat a Sunburn
If you’ve suffered a sunburn, there are a few things you need to know in order to make yourself more comfortable and prevent further damage to your skin. In general, sunburns are mild and do not require a trip to the doctor. Most of the time you can treat them at home, but if you’re wondering how to treat a burn on a very small child, or one that is more severe, you should go to the doctor for more advice.
There are several ways to tell if you need to seek medical attention for your sunburn. If the sunburn blisters, is accompanied by a fever (which indicates infection), or if it does not improve after two or three days, you should consider going to the doctor. If the skin peels to the extent that a raw, bloody area is exposed, this is another sign that the burn is more severe. A sunburn can occasionally be more serious than a minor first-degree burn, especially if there was very prolonged exposure to the sun, or if the victim is very young or fair-skinned.
Assuming you don’t need medical attention, there are several ways to treat your sunburn at home. First, you can take an anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen. This will help with the swelling and redness, and may help ease your pain a bit as well. You should also keep the sunburned area cool, by taking cold showers or baths, or by applying cold compresses.
As for topical treatments, a soothing moisturizing cream or aloe vera gel should be applied. You need to keep the skin moisturized, so avoid products which contain alcohol.
If blisters do form, resist the urge to pick at them or pop them. This will slow down your healing time, and can actually increase your risk of infection. Peeling skin is another common side effect of sunburns. This is your body’s way of sloughing off the damaged, dead skin, so don’t pick at it and just continue to treat your skin gently with moisturizing creams.
After your skin has peeled, the new layer of skin that will emerge from underneath will be very sensitive to the sun. It will burn much more quickly and severely, so you will not be able to tolerate your usual level of sunlight. Avoid sunbathing altogether after a major sunburn, and when you do start venturing out into the sun again, use a stronger sunblock than you used to use.
Most of the time a sunburn can be treated at home, but if you have any questions or concerns about how to treat a burn, you should call your doctor or schedule an appointment.
In the future, the best medicine is prevention. Always use a sunblock of at least SPF 15, and much higher than that for young children or those with fair skin. Every time your skin is sunburned, your risk of skin cancer increases, so take it easy in the sun and take care of your skin.