Sunburn Relief and After-Sun Care

You spent too long in the sun. Now you’re red, hot, and every movement hurts. What actually helps?

In our full investigation into sun protection, we covered how to avoid getting burned in the first place — shade, sunscreen, UPF clothing. But prevention isn’t always possible. Sometimes you misjudge the day. Sometimes the reapplication didn’t happen on schedule. Sometimes you fell asleep at the beach.

When that happens, you need actual remedies that work — not folk remedies that make things worse, not expensive creams that do nothing, and not vague advice about drinking water. Here’s what the evidence says about treating a sunburn once you already have one.

Immediate First Aid

The first thing to do is get out of the sun entirely — preferably indoors. The American Academy of Dermatology emphasizes that the moment you notice your skin burning, additional UV exposure is compounding the damage (AAD: How to Treat Sunburn).

Take a cool shower or bath — not cold, not ice-cold. The Skin Cancer Foundation warns against applying ice directly to sunburned skin, which can cause frostnip on already damaged tissue. Cool water (tepid to lukewarm) helps draw heat out of the skin without constricting blood vessels. If you go too cold, you can trap heat deeper in the tissue (Skin Cancer Foundation: Sunburn Treatment).

Cold compresses are an alternative if a full bath or shower isn’t practical. Use a clean washcloth soaked in cool water, applied to the burned areas for 15–20 minutes at a time. You can add ice to the water you soak the cloth in, but never apply ice directly to the skin.

Moisturize while skin is still damp. After a cool bath or shower, pat yourself dry gently — don’t rub — and apply a moisturizer immediately. The AAD specifically recommends moisturizers containing aloe vera or soy, applied while your skin is still damp to lock in moisture (AAD: How to Treat Sunburn). This is the single most important step for reducing discomfort over the next 12–24 hours.

What Works

Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is the most well-known sunburn remedy for good reason. A 2019 review in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology found that aloe vera has measurable anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties that can reduce pain and speed recovery after UV damage (PubMed: Aloe Vera and UV Damage). The Mayo Clinic also recommends aloe vera lotion or gel for sunburn relief, noting that refrigerating the product before application provides additional cooling (Mayo Clinic: Sunburn Treatment).

The key is using pure aloe vera gel with a high aloe content. Many commercial after-sun products contain only trace amounts of aloe and are mostly water, fragrance, and alcohol — the last of which will burn and dry out your skin further. Look for products where aloe is the first ingredient, ideally 95% or higher. Refrigerate the bottle for extra relief.

Moisturizers with Soy or Oat

The AAD specifically recommends moisturizers containing soy — a less common ingredient in the sunburn conversation but one with specific evidence. Soy has anti-inflammatory properties that can help calm redness and irritation. The AAD notes it alongside aloe vera as an evidence-based option (AAD: How to Treat Sunburn).

Colloidal oatmeal baths are another option with some evidence. Oatmeal has compounds called avenanthramides that reduce inflammation and soothe irritated skin. The FDA has recognized colloidal oatmeal as a safe and effective skin protectant for over-the-counter use. A cool bath with colloidal oatmeal can be especially helpful for widespread sunburns where applying lotion would be painful or impractical.

Hydrocortisone Cream (1%)

For severe redness and inflammation, an over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream (1%) can help. The Mayo Clinic and the Skin Cancer Foundation both note that 1% hydrocortisone cream applied to affected skin several times a day can help calm redness and swelling (Mayo Clinic News Network: Sunburn Treatment, Skin Cancer Foundation: Sunburn Treatment).

Use it sparingly and only for a few days — prolonged use of topical steroids can thin the skin and cause other side effects. It’s not a first-line treatment; it’s for cases where the redness is severe enough that the anti-inflammatory benefit outweighs the risk.

Ibuprofen or Aspirin

Sunburn is an inflammatory response. The redness, swelling, and pain are driven by prostaglandins — chemicals released by damaged skin cells. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen and aspirin block the production of these prostaglandins, reducing both pain and inflammation systemically.

The AAD recommends taking aspirin or ibuprofen at the first sign of sunburn to help reduce swelling and discomfort (AAD: How to Treat Sunburn). The Skin Cancer Foundation agrees, noting that NSAIDs should be taken at the first sign of sunburn and continued as directed on the label until the burn feels better (Skin Cancer Foundation: Sunburn Treatment). Acetaminophen (Tylenol) can help with pain but does not reduce inflammation, so it’s a less effective choice for sunburn specifically.

Drink Extra Water

This sounds like generic advice, but there’s a specific physiological reason it matters for sunburn. Sunburn draws fluid to the skin’s surface and away from the rest of the body. The AAD explains that a sunburn pulls fluid into the skin, which can leave the rest of your body dehydrated (AAD: How to Treat Sunburn). The Skin Cancer Foundation adds that burns draw fluid to the skin’s surface and away from the rest of the body, making rehydration with water and electrolyte-replenishing drinks important immediately and throughout the healing process (Skin Cancer Foundation: Sunburn Treatment).

How much: Drink more water than you normally would until your urine is light yellow or clear. If the burn is extensive, consider electrolyte drinks to replenish sodium and potassium lost through the skin’s inflammatory response.

Loose, Soft Clothing

This is mostly about avoiding further irritation, but it makes a meaningful difference in comfort. The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends loose, soft, breathable clothing to avoid further skin irritation during the healing process (Skin Cancer Foundation: Sunburn Treatment). Cotton or bamboo fabrics are best — they breathe and don’t trap heat. Avoid synthetic fibers like polyester and nylon against burned skin; they don’t breathe and can cause friction that aggravates the burn.

Dark-colored clothing is actually better for sun protection (as covered in the hub article), but for comfort on an existing burn, light-colored, loose-fitting cotton is the priority.

What Doesn’t Work

Butter, Toothpaste, Vinegar

These folk remedies persist in family lore and internet forums despite having no evidence and sometimes causing harm.

Butter (or any oil-based substance) traps heat in the skin, which is the opposite of what a sunburn needs. The Skin Cancer Foundation explicitly advises against petroleum or oil-based ointments for this reason — they can trap heat and make the burn worse (Skin Cancer Foundation: Sunburn Treatment).

Toothpaste (particularly mint-based ones) creates a cooling sensation through menthol, which can temporarily distract from the pain, but it offers no therapeutic benefit. The drying agents in toothpaste can actually irritate burned skin.

Vinegar (both white and apple cider varieties) is acidic and can further irritate damaged skin. There is no evidence that it helps sunburn recovery, and dermatologists consistently advise against it.

‘After-Sun’ Products with Alcohol

Many commercial after-sun lotions and sprays contain denatured alcohol or SD alcohol as a delivery agent — it helps the product dry quickly and feel light on the skin. On a sunburn, alcohol causes a sharp stinging sensation and dries out the skin further, delaying healing and increasing flaking. Read the ingredient list before buying any after-sun product.

Popping Blisters

If your sunburn blisters, do not pop them. The AAD is explicit about this: blistering skin means you have a second-degree sunburn, and blisters form to help your skin heal and protect you from infection (AAD: How to Treat Sunburn). If a blister breaks naturally, keep the area clean and apply petroleum jelly to protect it while it heals. The Cleveland Clinic adds that breaking blisters exposes lower layers of skin to infection, increasing the risk of complications (Cleveland Clinic: When to See a Doctor for Sunburn).

When to See a Doctor

Most sunburns heal on their own with time and the treatments above. But sunburn can be serious enough to require medical attention. The Cleveland Clinic identifies these red flags (Cleveland Clinic: When to See a Doctor for Sunburn):

• Blistering over more than 20% of the body. This is a second-degree burn covering a significant area. The larger the burned area, the higher the risk of dehydration and infection.
• Fever and chills. A sunburn that causes systemic symptoms is more than skin deep. Fever means your body is mounting a significant inflammatory response.
• Nausea, dizziness, or disorientation. These can signal heat exhaustion, dehydration, or — in severe cases — heatstroke.
• Signs of infection. Red streaks extending from the burn, oozing pus, or increasing pain and swelling days after the initial burn require medical evaluation.
• Severe pain that doesn’t respond to OTC medication. If ibuprofen doesn’t touch the pain, that’s a sign the burn may be more severe than it looks.

The Skin Cancer Foundation adds that you should seek medical help if you or a child has severe blistering over a large portion of the body, has a fever and chills, or is woozy or confused (Skin Cancer Foundation: Sunburn Treatment).

Prevention Aftercare

Once your sunburn heals, the new skin that replaces the damaged layers is more sensitive to UV than your normal skin was. The Skin Cancer Foundation emphasizes that repeat sunburns substantially increase the risk of skin cancer and premature skin aging (Skin Cancer Foundation: Sunburn). For several weeks after a burn:

• Use a higher SPF on the affected areas than you normally would — at least SPF 50, broad-spectrum.
• Keep healed burns covered with clothing when possible. The new skin hasn’t built up normal pigment or thickness.
• Be especially careful about reapplication. The skin’s barrier function may not be fully restored, making it more vulnerable to further UV damage.

Long-Term Risk

A single bad sunburn increases your lifetime risk of melanoma — the most dangerous form of skin cancer. The Skin Cancer Foundation reports that having five or more sunburns doubles your risk of developing melanoma, and even one blistering sunburn in childhood or adolescence more than doubles the chance of developing melanoma later in life (Skin Cancer Foundation: Sunburn & Your Skin).

After a significant sunburn, track your skin for changes in the affected areas over the following weeks and months. New moles, changes in existing moles, or persistent discoloration should be evaluated by a dermatologist. The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends monthly self-exams and annual professional skin checks (Skin Cancer Foundation: Early Detection).

The good news: the treatments above can make a substantial difference in how miserable a sunburn makes you. The better news: now that you remember how bad this feels, it’s a strong motivation to get serious about prevention. Our full guide to sun protection covers everything from free shade strategies to the best sunscreen and UPF clothing — most of it cheaper than suffering through another burn.