Cool water, moisturizer, and an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory are the core of sunburn treatment. Most sunburns heal on their own within a week, but what you do in the first 24 hours can significantly reduce pain, peeling, and the risk of complications. Here’s what actually works and what to skip.
Cool the Skin First
The single most effective thing you can do right away is lower the temperature of your skin. Dampen a clean towel with cool tap water and drape it over the burned area for about 10 minutes. You can repeat this several times a day. A cool bath works too, and adding about 2 ounces of baking soda (roughly a handful) to the tub can help soothe irritation. Avoid ice or ice-cold water, which can shock damaged skin and make inflammation worse.
After cooling, pat your skin dry gently and apply a moisturizer while the skin is still slightly damp. This helps lock in hydration at the surface. Look for a moisturizer containing aloe vera or soy, both of which have mild anti-inflammatory properties. Avoid anything with fragrance, alcohol, or petroleum, as these can trap heat in the skin or cause further irritation.
Anti-Inflammatory Medication Helps, but Timing Matters
Ibuprofen can reduce some of the redness and swelling from a sunburn, but it works best when taken early. Clinical studies have found that anti-inflammatory medications are most effective around six hours after UV exposure, before pain and redness hit their peak. If you wait until the burn is already at full intensity (typically around 24 hours), you’ll still get pain relief, but less of the anti-inflammatory benefit.
That said, the effect is modest. Research published in the dermatology journal CUTIS found that even at optimal doses, these medications only produce a “mild reduction” in UV-induced redness. They’re worth taking for comfort, but they won’t dramatically change how your burn looks or heals.
Drink More Water Than You Think You Need
A sunburn draws fluid toward the skin’s surface. The damaged area becomes swollen and inflamed as blood vessels dilate, and your body loses moisture through the compromised skin barrier. This is why you may feel unusually thirsty, tired, or lightheaded after a bad burn. If blisters form, fluid loss can become significant enough to affect your electrolyte balance.
There’s no specific target number for extra fluid intake, but the general rule is to drink water consistently throughout the day until your burn heals, and more than you normally would. If your urine is dark, you’re behind.
What Not to Put on a Sunburn
Topical pain-relieving sprays and creams containing numbing agents like lidocaine or benzocaine are commonly marketed for sunburn relief, but they carry real risks. When applied over large areas of irritated or broken skin, lidocaine can be absorbed at much higher levels than intended. The FDA has warned that this can lead to irregular heartbeat, seizures, and breathing difficulties. This risk increases when the treated skin is covered by clothing or bandages, which most sunburned skin is.
Other products to avoid:
- Petroleum-based ointments that seal heat into the skin
- Fragranced lotions that contain alcohol and sting on contact
- Butter, coconut oil, or other home remedies that create a barrier trapping warmth against damaged tissue
How to Handle Blisters
Blisters mean you have a second-degree burn. The fluid-filled layer of skin acts as a natural bandage, protecting the raw tissue underneath from bacteria. Leave intact blisters alone. Don’t pop them, drain them, or peel the skin off.
If a blister breaks on its own, gently clean the area with mild soap and water and apply a thin layer of antibiotic ointment before covering it loosely with a nonstick bandage. Watch for signs of infection: increasing redness that spreads beyond the burn, warmth, pus, or worsening pain after the first couple of days. Second-degree sunburns can take several weeks to fully heal and are more likely to scar if they become infected.
What the Healing Timeline Looks Like
Sunburn pain typically starts within a few hours of exposure and peaks at about 24 hours. This is often when people realize how bad the burn actually is, because it keeps getting worse overnight. A standard first-degree sunburn (red, painful, no blisters) usually resolves within a few days to a week. You can expect peeling to start partway through that window as your body sheds the damaged outer layer of skin.
A more severe burn with blistering can take weeks to heal completely. During peeling, resist the urge to pull loose skin off. Let it shed naturally and keep the area moisturized. Your skin will be more sensitive to the sun for some time after healing, so cover the area or use sunscreen when going outside.
When a Sunburn Needs Medical Attention
Most sunburns, even painful ones, resolve at home. But a condition sometimes called “sun poisoning” involves symptoms that go beyond skin damage. Get medical help if your sunburn comes with any of the following:
- Fever or chills
- Severe nausea or vomiting
- Bright red, oozing skin over a large area
- Headache with confusion or dizziness
- Blisters covering a significant portion of your body
These symptoms suggest your body is struggling with the systemic effects of the burn, not just the skin damage. Extensive blistering in particular can cause enough fluid loss to require medical treatment.