Home Remedies for Sunburn

The best approach to sunburn is prevention. Sunburn, especially repeat sunburns, can cause skin cancer decades later.

Thursday, November 2, 2000; 4:43 PM

Most of the symptoms of sunburn are quite familiar -- your skin turns red, feels hot and may be sore or tender. Sometimes the skin blisters and itches after a few days. Severe sunburn can cause fever, nausea and a rash. Call your doctor if this occurs, since sunburn may sometimes accompany heat illnesses. You may also need to call the doctor if the burn is extremely severe or a child gets a bad sunburn.

Tips for Treating Sunburn
Here are some home remedies for sunburn -- just in case you slip up one day and suddenly find yourself looking like a lobster.

• As soon as you realize you have a sunburn, start cooling the skin. Apply cold compresses for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Drench a cloth or towel in ice water, wring it out and gently press it to the burned areas. If you apply ice to the skin, do not leave it there for more than a minute or two. You can also take cool baths. Some people add baking soda or oatmeal in the bath water.
• Wash only with mild soap or just clean the burned skin with water.
• Drink lots of water.
• Apply an emollient type of moisturizer -- something rich, but not greasy. Do not use petroleum jelly or oils that may block the pores and exacerbate your symptoms. Apply lotions to blisters only after the blisters have broken and dried up.
• Some doctors recommend nonprescription sprays or creams, but most advise avoiding them. While these may provide short-term relief, many people are allergic or sensitive to the benzocaine or similar ingredients that these products contain.
• To relieve pain, you can take over-the-counter pain medicines.
• Try calamine lotion for itching.
• Some people apply aloe vera gel to the skin. It may not heal the sunburn any faster, but it may soothe the skin and is probably safe to try. Buy it in gel form from a reputable manufacturer. Do not take it internally.