Sunburn Care: What Helps, What Hurts, and When to Get Checked

Sunburn

Sunburn can happen faster than many people realize, especially during summer, outdoor sports, vacations, pool days, yard work, or even cloudy weather. While many mild sunburns can be cared for at home, some burns need medical evaluation — especially if there is blistering, severe pain, fever, dehydration, or signs of infection.

Here’s what helps, what to avoid, and when it may be time to get checked.

What is it?

Sunburn is skin damage caused by too much ultraviolet light exposure, usually from the sun or tanning devices. It can cause redness, pain, swelling, warmth, peeling, and sometimes blisters. Even when the burn seems mild, sunburn is a sign that the skin has been injured.

Repeated sunburns can increase the risk of long-term skin damage, premature skin aging, and skin cancer.

Common symptoms

Common sunburn symptoms may include:

• Red, pink, or darker irritated skin

• Skin that feels warm or hot to touch

• Pain, tenderness, or burning sensation

• Swelling

• Itching as the skin heals

• Peeling after several days

• Blisters in more severe burns

• Headache, chills, nausea, or fatigue with more significant sun exposure

What you can do at home

For mild sunburn, supportive care can help the skin heal and reduce discomfort:

• Get out of the sun right away.

• Take cool baths or showers.

• Apply cool compresses to painful areas.

• Use a gentle moisturizer or aloe-based product.

• Drink extra fluids to help prevent dehydration.

• Wear loose, soft clothing.

• Use over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen if safe for you.

• Leave peeling skin alone and allow it to shed naturally.

• Protect the burned area from more sun while healing.

What to avoid

Some common “sunburn remedies” can make irritation worse or increase infection risk. Avoid:

• Popping or picking blisters

• Scrubbing peeling skin

• Applying ice directly to the skin

• Using harsh exfoliants, retinoids, acids, or alcohol-based products on burned skin

• Applying butter, oils, or heavily fragranced products

• Continued sun exposure while the skin is healing

• Using numbing products unless recommended by a healthcare professional, as some may irritate the skin or cause reactions

  
  

When to seek medical care

You should seek medical care if you have:

• Large blisters

• Blisters on the face, hands, genitals, or a large area of the body

• Severe pain

• Fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, headache, confusion, dizziness, or weakness

• Signs of dehydration, such as very dark urine, reduced urination, dry mouth, or feeling faint

• Signs of infection, such as worsening redness, warmth, swelling, pus, red streaking, or increasing pain

• Sunburn covering a large portion of the body

• Symptoms that are worsening instead of improving

• Eye pain or vision changes after sun exposure

• Repeated severe sunburns

Call 911 or seek emergency care for confusion, fainting, severe dehydration, severe illness symptoms, or concern for heat stroke.

Can telehealth help?

Yes, telehealth may be appropriate for many mild to moderate sunburn concerns. A telehealth visit can help review your symptoms, look at the affected skin by video or uploaded photos, discuss pain control, provide wound care guidance, and determine whether you need in-person care.

Telehealth may not be enough if the burn is extensive, involves severe blistering, affects sensitive areas, has signs of infection, or is associated with fever, dehydration, confusion, fainting, or heat-related illness symptoms

Prevention tips

The best sunburn treatment is prevention. To lower your risk:

• Use broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher.

• Reapply sunscreen at least every 2 hours, and more often after swimming or sweating.

• Wear protective clothing, sunglasses, and a wide-brimmed hat.

• Seek shade, especially during peak sun hours.

• Avoid tanning beds.

• Be extra careful near water, sand, snow, and concrete because UV rays can reflect off surfaces.

• Check medication labels or ask a healthcare professional if your medications increase sun sensitivity.

If you are not sure whether your sunburn needs medical care, Your Best Life Medical eClinic can help evaluate your symptoms through a convenient telehealth visit for adults in Virginia.

Click Link to Schedule an Appointment

Disclaimer

This information is for educational purposes only and does not replace medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, severe symptoms, confusion, fainting, signs of heat stroke, or severe dehydration, call 911 or seek emergency care.