For a sunburn you already have, the best immediate treatment is cool compresses, a lightweight moisturizer with aloe vera or soy, an over-the-counter pain reliever, and plenty of water. Most sunburns heal on their own within a week, but what you do in the first few hours makes a real difference in how much pain and peeling you deal with.
Cool the Skin First
Before you reach for any product, bring the temperature of your skin down. Apply a clean towel dampened with cool tap water to the burned areas for about 10 minutes, and repeat this several times throughout the day. A cool bath works too. Adding about 2 ounces (roughly a quarter cup) of baking soda to the tub can help soothe irritation further.
Stick with cool water, not cold or icy. Extreme cold can shock already-damaged skin and increase discomfort. Avoid hot showers as well, since heat pulls moisture out of skin that’s already struggling to hold onto it.
Moisturizers That Actually Help
Once you’ve cooled the skin, apply a light lotion or gel. The two ingredients with the most evidence behind them are aloe vera and soy, both of which have antioxidant properties that can speed healing. Look for a gel or lotion where one of these is a primary ingredient, not just listed at the bottom of a long label.
Colloidal oatmeal is another strong option, especially as peeling begins. It works by activating genes involved in skin barrier repair, tightening the junctions between skin cells, and helping regulate the lipids that keep your skin’s outer layer intact. In clinical studies, colloidal oatmeal lotions significantly improved skin dryness, moisturization, and barrier function in people with compromised skin. You’ll find it in many drugstore lotions marketed for sensitive or irritated skin.
Apply moisturizer while your skin is still slightly damp from a bath or compress. This locks in more hydration. Reapply generously throughout the day, especially in the first 48 hours when the burn is most active.
Pain Relief: What Works and When
Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory pain relievers like ibuprofen can help with sunburn pain and swelling, but timing matters. Studies show these medications are most effective when taken soon after sun exposure, ideally within a few hours and before the redness fully peaks. Research on sunburn inflammation found the greatest reduction in redness when anti-inflammatory treatment started around 3 hours after UV exposure, rather than waiting until the burn was already at full intensity.
That said, clinical evidence suggests that for pure pain relief, ibuprofen is no more effective than acetaminophen. If you’re mainly dealing with soreness rather than visible swelling, either one will work. The key is not to wait until the pain becomes severe to take something.
What to Avoid Putting on a Sunburn
Skip any spray or cream containing benzocaine or other numbing agents ending in “-caine.” While they feel soothing for a few minutes, these ingredients carry a real risk. The FDA has warned that benzocaine can cause a serious condition called methemoglobinemia, where the blood’s ability to carry oxygen drops dramatically. This risk increases when the product is applied over large areas of damaged skin, which is exactly what a sunburn is. Lidocaine products carry similar warnings.
Also avoid petroleum jelly, butter, or heavy oil-based creams. These trap heat in the skin and can make the burn worse. Fragranced lotions and products containing alcohol will sting and dry out already damaged tissue.
Hydrate From the Inside
A sunburn draws fluid toward the skin’s surface and away from the rest of your body. Even a moderate burn increases your risk of dehydration, and you may not feel thirsty enough to compensate on your own. Drink extra water for several days after a burn, especially if the burn covers a large area like your entire back, chest, or legs.
Severe sunburns with extensive blistering can cause significant fluid and electrolyte loss. If more than 20% of your body is blistered (roughly an entire leg, your full back, or both arms), the fluid loss can become a medical issue requiring professional treatment.
Managing the Peeling Phase
Peeling typically starts a few days after the burn and is your body shedding the damaged outer layer of skin. The new skin underneath is thinner, more sensitive, and more vulnerable to UV damage.
Do not pull or peel the flaking skin. Forcing it off can tear the healthy layer beneath and open the door to infection. Instead, keep the area moisturized to soften the transition. Colloidal oatmeal or aloe-based lotions work well here. Continue taking cool (not hot) showers, and keep the healing skin completely out of the sun or covered with clothing until peeling is finished.
Signs a Sunburn Needs Medical Attention
Most sunburns are painful but manageable at home. However, certain symptoms signal something more serious:
- Blisters covering more than 20% of your body, such as your entire back or a whole leg
- Fever above 102°F (39°C)
- Chills or extreme pain that doesn’t respond to over-the-counter medication
- Signs of dehydration, including dizziness, dry mouth, fatigue, and reduced urination
- Pus seeping from blisters, which indicates infection
- Any sunburn on a baby under 1 year old
These situations can escalate quickly. A sunburn with widespread blistering is essentially a second-degree burn and may require the same kind of medical fluid replacement used for other serious burns.