Sunburn Pain First Aid

Everyone has faced the problem of dealing with the aftereffects of getting a sunburn. There are a few important things to keep in mind that will prove to be effective sunburn pain treatments.

First of all, after you first have gotten the sunburn, the best thing to do is examine your burn inside to see how extensive the damage to your skin is. Most first-degree burns don't do much more than cause a reddening of the skin, much like a mild rash. After a few days, the outermost layer might peel, peel, but the skin can heal and will be normal afterwards. In general, the pain connected with this type of sunburn is minimal, not requiring any kind of pain medication, and the best first aid for sun burn pain is to keep the skin as hydrated as possible.

You can do this by taking a cool bath as soon as possible afterwards to release heat from the skin before you apply any type of cream to your skin. Certain creams if applied right away can keep in heat that can further damage the injury. Smoothing on a lotion after bathing, especially one that is not alcohol based will aid greatly (alcohol is a drying agent that can cause discomfort), especially if the lotion has aloe vera in it.

A second-degree burn goes a little deeper and blistering will likely occur. More care needs to be taken in handling this type of burn to avoid any complications like infections or scarring. Sunburn pain first aid in this instance is a little more complicated. It's important not to let the blisters that form get opened as they contain fluids that will dry the damaged skin if lost. Again, try to keep the skin as moist as is possible and avoid anything that might be an irritant to the affected skin.

A good way to do this is to make a spray out of 2 parts water, one part aloe juice and one part apple cider vinegar that can be sprayed on the area directly from a fine misting spray bottle. The aloe vera juice contains compounds that promote healing (aloe vera has been used for centuries as a burn relief), and the evaporation of the moisture from the spray will help keep the affected area cool so it can heal better. Read our article "With Vinegar Sunburn will start to be soothed". Opens in a new window. If a second-degree sunburn covers a large area of the body, it is best to seek medical attention immediately. Your physician can prescribe medicines that will help control the discomfort of the sun burn pain and medicine to help promote a more natural healing that can lessen the possibility of scarring.

Of course, the very best remedy for sunburn pain is not to get burned in the first place. Before you go out, apply a good variety of sunblock, and keep refreshing it every hour or so. It only takes ten to fifteen minutes to get burned, but days for the burn to heal and stop hurting.