Sunburn SOS: How to Treat and Prevent Painful Sunburns
Verified By
KIMS-SUNSHINE
Specialist,
30 March, 2025
With day temperatures hitting all time highs in March itself, we can all expect that peak summer days will only be way hotter. The risk of getting sunburned and even dealing with heat exhaustion or stroke increases greatly in this kind of weather. Getting a sunburn means that you have been exposed to too much UV rays from the sun, causing damage- which is seen as redness, irritation and blistering of skin. The symptoms can be mild, moderate or severe and take longer to resolve. It affects people who are light skinned, more often than not but it doesn’t mean that dark coloured individuals don’t suffer from this condition at all. The damage to skin cells can be permanent as UV rays are mutagenic- increasing your risk of suffering from skin cancer too.
Best Ways To Prevent Sunburn During Summer
Sunburn can cause the following symptoms
- Warm feeling skin which is painful and sensitive to touch
- Skin may feel itchy
- Blisters filled with fluid may also form
Severe sunburn can mean that you may have fever, deal with chills and even feel nauseous in extreme cases. The timeline for appearance of symptoms is an initial rash, redness and warmness of skin followed by skin that peels or flakes later on, but this will take a few days to almost a week. Some of the best ways to prevent this from happening include NOT going out in the sun between the hours of 12-5pm, slathering on lots of sunscreen and using a scarf, umbrella and protecting skin, scalp and hair altogether and using sunglasses too. But, if you already have some symptoms, then you can apply cooling aloe vera gel or a hydrocortisone containing cream. The sunscreen you use needs to be at least SPF 30 and above and even then, you will need to keep reapplying every couple hours or so. Using a lip balm with SPF 30 or above is also super beneficial as your lips are even more sensitive than the surrounding skin on the face.
How Long Does Sunburn Last And When To See A Doctor?
Sunburn symptoms can last anywhere between a couple days to almost 2 weeks, depending on how severe your symptoms are and if you had prolonged exposure, even after the first set of symptoms made an appearance. If you have blisters, redness and severe pain, then you will find relief with some topical creams, aloe vera gel and painkillers. The most important thing now is to NOT pick on the scabs and the new skin that forms.
Conclusion
Kids love summer time because it means vacations and long hours of play and fun. Some handy tips to protect kids from sunburn in summer include – getting them to wear full sleeved clothing, made of good quality, light cotton. They need to keep sipping on water often and play in the shade. They should not play when it is too hot in the afternoon and they should use plenty of sunscreen too. They can also wear caps or wide hats, so that their necks, scalp and faces remain covered from the harsh rays of the sun. Staying hydrated is the best thing you can do and you need to inculcate this habit early on in kids- where they can sip water from their bottles every 20 minutes or so. Don’t give them juices or anything too sweet as it can dehydrate them faster. Lastly, if your kid does get sunburned, don’t get stressed. Get them to rest for a few days and they will be back to their antics in no time!
