When a day at the beach turns you into a lobster, use home care to take care of sunburn pain.
You may not realize the full extent of your sunburn for 12 to 24 hours until you experience:
- Chills and fever
- Nausea, vomiting, flulike symptoms
- Blistering
Mild sunburn treatment can begin at home with:
- Cool compresses. Soak a cloth in equal parts of milk and water, gently wring it out and apply to sunburned areas for 15 to 20 minutes. Change or refresh the cloth and solution every two to three hours.
- Over-the-counter pain relievers.
- Aloe-based lotion. Avoid those that contain a topical anesthetic. Do not apply butter or toothpaste to skin.
- Cool (not cold) baths or showers. Avoid scrubbing or shaving the skin. Use soft towels to dry yourself.
- Drink fluids.
- Stay out of the sun.
- Use appropriate sunscreen next time.
Seek medical care if you have severe pain and blistering, headache, confusion, facial swelling, signs of infection such as increasing redness or pus, fainting, if sunburn covers a large area, or you have complications from other medical conditions. |
