The Best 10 Simple Ways to Treat Sunburn and Reduce Burn

It’s a scorching 40 degrees outside, and you make the mistake of walking out without sunscreen. 

What happens next? You are toasted! 

This happens to most of us sometime or the other. But, unfortunately, we get too careless with sunscreen application, miss out on a spot or two, or skimp out on body sunscreen application. 

When you come home, your skin is sunburnt, red, and sore from the UV ray damage and heat effect. Sometimes, untreated sunburn can result in peeling skin or blisters. Prevention is better than cure because sunburn can cause lasting damage. Thus, knowing the best ways to treat sunburn is important in the first place. 

Sunburn is a toxic injury to the skin that requires time for healing for the cells to regenerate. And while the rash of sunburn may fade, the damage caused due to it is long-lasting, doubling the risk of skin cancer. 

Don’t believe us? 

Here’s how damaging sunburn can be?

Repetitive exposure to the sun’s UV rays increases the risk of skin cancer. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, even one instance of blistering from sunburn can double the chances of a person developing melanoma. 

This also includes using tanning beds regularly, constantly exposing themselves to the sun without protection, and having a weak immune system. And the possibility of sunburn to skin cancer has nothing to do with skin tone. Even darker skin complexions are prone to sunburn and its damage, only their diagnosis happens much later as it can be harder to spot. 

Sunburn is also the primary cause of premature aging and can increase skin freckling and uneven skin tone, hyperpigmentation, and free radical damage. 

Does sunburn have specific symptoms? What are they?

Sunburn has specific common symptoms, which might differ from person to person. These include: 

• Redness and irritability of the skin
• Swelling of skin
• Pain in the area of sunburn
• Blisters
• Fever
• Weakness and chills
• Dryness and itching
• Peeling of skin days after sunburn

However, we are the bearer of good news! You can relieve sunburn and redness with a few simple remedies that best treat sunburn! Most of them are tested and effective. 

10 Fast Ways to Treat Sunburn and Reduce Redness at Home

1. Quickly take a cool shower

The hot and cold method is one of the best and most effective ways to treat sunburn. Taking a cool shower after sunburn helps soothe the irritation and reduce redness to an extent. 

Lather on some moisturizer as soon as you get out of the shower, as water will help ease the pain and inflammation, and a moisturizer will trap the moisture to make your skin feel less dry and scaly. Avoid using soap when a shower, as it might irritate the skin. 

2. Apply Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is a go-to after-sun product for many. You can apply aloe vera gel or take some straight from the plant to get instant relief from sunburn. Aloe has cooling properties and can also promote the healing of sunburn and redness. 

It has anti-inflammatory properties and is the safest for application when suffering from sunburn. Aloe is one of the best ways to treat sunburn and one of the best ideas to reduce redness at home. 

3. Use a cold compress

Wrap ice cubes in a cloth before directly applying them to the site of sunburn. Or you may soak a washcloth in cold water or milk and place it on the burn. This is the most tested and best idea to reduce redness at home. 

The antioxidants and vitamins in milk can help heal your skin, and a cool liquid or ice will relieve the burning sensation and redness. 

4. Drink plenty of water

Water is your best friend in every way when suffering from sunburn. A sunburn draws fluid to the skin and away from the rest of the body, so rehydrating yourself by drinking plenty of water is very important. 

Don’t get too ahead and choose margaritas or alcohol for hydration; that’ll only worsen matters. You can also drink low-sugar, electrolyte-rich drinks to restore hydration. 

5. Keep your hands away from the blisters

Rarely does a sunburn become so severe that it requires medical attention, which is mainly in the case of blisters? Keep your hands away from blisters, however tempting popping them might feel. 

Popping blisters makes them vulnerable to infection. And if the blisters do pop naturally, clean the wound with mild soap and water and cover it with an ointment and bandage. 

6. Soothe with oatmeal

Healthy for the body and the skin, oatmeal is one of the best ideas to reduce redness at home. To reduce the redness of the sunburn and keep it from getting worse, apply a thick paste of oats and milk to the affected area. 

Oatmeal has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory powers that provide relief from within. The internal pain of sunburn can be challenging to manage, but this oatmeal paste hydrates the dry skin and soothes inner pain by reducing muscle and skin stiffness. 

7. Over-the-counter medicines

An over-the-counter pain reliever like Advil can help reduce swelling and discomfort and aid healing. You can also quickly run on a hydrocortisone cream to reduce redness and sunburn via medical aid. 

8. Avoid heat-trapping products

To heal sunburn and redness quickly, you must avoid heat-trapping products and wear loose clothing. Avoid using petroleum products and oil-based lotions as well as a fast way to treat sunburn. 

9. Cucumbers and chamomile

We are sure you must have stocked up on cucumbers for the summer. While cucumbers are internal coolants, they are also perfect for external application on sunburn as they are packed with antioxidants and are pain relieving. 

Brew a chamomile tea, chill it, and apply the cooled tea to the sunburnt area. You are going to thank us for this remedy! Chamomile tea will bring the redness down and lead to a faster recovery. 

10. Switch your skincare routine to milder products

If you are a pain fan, you can continue skin exfoliation and scrubs, which could cause more damage. However, avoid toners and acne medications for the time being as it worsens matters with sunburn and redness. 

As simple as it may sound, sunburn is quite complicated as one doesn’t know the right things and timeline to heal the same. 

Before we leave you with ‘sunburn wisdom’, let’s take a look at some of the frequently asked questions about sunburn: 

   

Hope this blog helps you keep sunburn and redness at bay with everything available right within your home!