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Wearing the best sunscreen is key for avoiding sunburn and sun damage (which can exacerbate the effects of aging on your complexion). Whether you missed a spot or simply forgot to reapply, if you’re dealing with painful, red skin, you’re likely wondering how to get rid of sunburn fast.
Thankfully there are ways to find pain relief from your scarlet-colored skin, and we’ve rounded up the best expert-approved tips and tricks. Plus, how to prevent a sunburn from happening again and when you might want to schedule a visit with your doctor.
Meet the experts: Michael Schreiber, M.D., board-certified dermatologist; Frederic Haberman, M.D., of Haberman Dermatology & Cosmetic Center; Thomas Gossel, Ph.D., R.Ph., a professor of pharmacology and toxicology; Coyle S. Connolly, D.O., of Connolly Dermatology in New Jersey; Rodney Basler, M.D., dermatologist; Susan Massick, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist; Karan Lal, D.O., M.S., F.A.A.D., double board-certified dermatologist.
How to get rid of a sunburn fast
While prevention is key, treating sunburn with certain home remedies can help you feel better fast. You’ll encourage your skin to heal, tamp down the redness and pain, and learn the ultimate lesson: Don’t forget your sunscreen!
1. Take a cool bath or shower—and skip the soap.
After a long day in the sun, the first thing you want to do is rinse off—but you should think twice before sudsing up. Soaking in a bubble bath and using soap can dry out and irritate sunburned skin. A cool bath (sans bubbles) is a better option.
If you must use soap while you wash, reach for something mild like Johnson’s Baby Head-to-Toe Wash and carefully rinse it all off—leftover soap residue can be extremely drying, which will only make your sunburn feel worse.
2. Soak in soothing oatmeal.
Another sunburn cure: Add oatmeal to your bath. Research shows colloidal oatmeal helps tamp down inflammation and reduces itching, says board-certified dermatologist Michael Schreiber, M.D., and you can find the ingredient in many Aveeno products, like a soothing bath treatment.
You can also simply grind up plain oats in your food processor and add to your tub. Mix the oatmeal treatment with cool bath water and soak for 15 to 20 minutes. Afterward, gently pat your skin dry with a clean towel. Rubbing your skin to dry off will only irritate it further.
3. Reach for ice.
Follow your urge to reach for something cold, but make sure to do it right. Wrap an ice pack in a damp cloth and hold it over the burn. This will absorb some of the heat from your skin, constrict blood vessels, and reduce swelling.
Ice-cold water is also an option. Pour water and ice into a bowl, soak a cloth in the liquid, and place it over the burn. Repeat this process every few minutes as the cloth warms up. Apply the compress several times a day for 10 to 15 minutes for quick relief, Dr. Schreiber says.
Improvise, if necessary, says board-certified dermatologist Frederic Haberman, M.D., of Haberman Dermatology & Cosmetic Center in New York and New Jersey. “You could even take a bag of frozen peas, for instance, and use that. But make sure to wrap it first so that you’re not placing the icy package directly against your skin.”
4. Tame it with tea.
The tannic acid in green and black tea may help pull heat from a sunburn, while catechins (an antioxidant compound) repair skin damage, research shows. This can be particularly helpful if you’re burned around your sensitive eye area. Simply soak two tea bags in cool water and place them on top of closed eyes to decrease swelling and help relieve pain.
5. Use a rash-relieving powder.
If your burn becomes itchy, add a Domeboro Soothing Soak Rash Relief powder packet to your ice water compress, suggests Thomas Gossel, Ph.D., R.Ph., a professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Ohio Northern University. The aluminum acetate in the powder keeps skin from getting too dry or itchy.
6. Apply hydrocortisone cream.
Minimize itching, soothe skin irritation, and reduce inflammation with a topical lotion, spray, or ointment containing 1% hydrocortisone, such as Cortizone-10.
Hydrocortisone has anti-inflammatory properties, which means it will reduce redness and ease the pain of mild sunburns, says dermatologist Coyle S. Connolly, D.O., of Connolly Dermatology in New Jersey. “Use 2 or 3 times a day,” depending on the severity of your burn, he says.
7. Stay hydrated.
You need to drink plenty of water to help counteract the drying effects of a sunburn, says Gossel. But if you can’t guzzle fast enough, snack on hydrating fruits and vegetables, like watermelon, cucumber, strawberries, tomatoes, grapefruit, and cantaloupe—all of which are more than 90% water.
8. Moisturize strategically.
After you’ve rinsed off, smooth on a natural bath oil. Let it soak in for a minute, and then apply a moisturizing cream or lotion, such as Eucerin Skin Calming Lotion, to lock in hydration. This is an important step, says dermatologist Rodney Basler, M.D., or you may find that your skin feels drier than before. For added relief, chill your moisturizer in the fridge before applying. Avoid products that contain petroleum (like Vaseline) as they can trap in heat.
9. Slather on aloe vera.
This classic is the go-to sunburn cure for a reason. “We’re starting to see evidence in medical literature that aloe vera may really help wound healing,” says Dr. Basler. If you have an aloe plant, simply break off a leaf and apply the juice. Pure, organic aloe vera gel is the next best thing—especially if you chill it. Look for one that does not contain alcohol, colors, and fragrance that could further irritate the skin. (Check out the best aloe vera gel for your sunburn.)
10. Try coconut oil.
While a contested topic among dermatologists, you can try using coconut oil on your sunburn in a pinch—but not on a fresh one. Only use cold-pressed, organic coconut oil after any blistering has subsided and your burn has reached the end of its healing process (otherwise you may trap in heat, and you do not want that). Always test a patch of your skin first to ensure you don’t have any unwanted reactions. Avoid using coconut oil on your face if you are acne-prone, as it may clog pores and lead to breakouts.
CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion
Viva Naturals Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
11. Blow up your air mattress.
Sleeping with a nasty sunburn can be challenging, but you need to rest for your body to recover. Try sprinkling talcum powder on your sheets to minimize chafing and friction, Dr. Haberman suggests. An air mattress might also help you sleep more easily since it retains less heat. Pro tip: If your legs or feet are burned, elevate your legs above heart level to help reduce swelling, Dr. Basler says.
12. Pop an aspirin.
This old standby can help relieve the pain, itching, and swelling of a mild to moderate burn. “Take two tablets every 4 hours,” says Dr. Basler. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen will work just as well; follow label instructions for dosages.
13. Avoid anything ending in -caine.
If your burn is mild, an OTC anesthetic might seem like a good idea, but you should avoid products that contain benzocaine or lidocaine, since they can irritate your skin, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD).
14. Wear lightweight fabrics.
Wear soft, comfortable fabrics like cotton while your burn heals to minimize any painful rubbing that could further irritate your skin.
15. Resist the urge to peel skin.
Blisters are a sign of severe damage, and they must be treated with care. If they bother you and they cover only a small area, you may carefully drain them, Dr. Basler says. However, do not peel the top skin off; you’ll have less discomfort and danger of infection if air does not come in contact with sensitive nerve endings.
You can develop blisters from a bad sunburn. And, while it’s tempting to want to pop them, it’s really best to leave them alone, says Dr. Massick. “Your skin can still act like a natural Band-aid so don’t try to remove or disturb the blisters,” she says. “If the blisters are really large and fluid-filled, they can be drained, but leave the blister skin in place.”
16. Drain blisters only when necessary.
You could use a sterile needle to pop the blisters, but you don’t want to peel off the skin that’s at the top of the blister—it’s there to protect the raw skin underneath. To drain the fluid in a blister, first, sterilize a needle by holding it over a flame. Then puncture the edge of the blister and press gently on the top to let the fluid come out.
Do this three times in the first 24 hours, and then leave the blisters alone, says Dr. Basler. When in doubt, see your dermatologist if you think your sunburn peeling may have signs of infection, like excessive swelling or pus.
17. Stay out of the sun.
If you have a sunburn, it’s really best to try to stay indoors until your skin heals—that can be anywhere from a few days to a week, Dr. Massick says.
But, if you need to be outside, there are a few things you can do to try to protect your skin from additional damage. “I tell patients that you should always stay in the shade and wear a hat, as well as proper SPF, whether or not you are healing from a sunburn,” says Kate Foster, D.O., dermatologist at Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.
Tightly woven fabrics work best here, so when you hold your shirt up to a bright light, you shouldn’t see it shining through, the AAD says.
“Be patient—the skin will heal with time,” Dr. Massick says.
What happens to your skin when you get a sunburn?
A sunburn is a reaction to the UV rays on your skin, explains Susan Massick, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “Too much sun can damage your skin cells beyond what your body can naturally repair, causing those cells to die,” she says. After those cells die, it “kicks off an inflammatory reaction, where the blood vessels dilate and inflammatory cells come in to help,” turning your skin pink and red. Those new cells help heal your sunburn (by replacing the dead cells).
“This inflammatory cascade can take up to four to six hours to rev up or appear noticeable, which is how you can get sunburned and not realize it,” Dr. Massick says. So unfortunately, you usually don’t notice your dry, red, uncomfortable, and maybe even painful skin until the damage is done. You can’t go back in time, but you can take steps to get relief right now.
How long does a sunburn last?
If you’re experiencing a painful sunburn, you may wonder how long it will take for your skin to return to normal. The answer depends on the severity of the burn. “A mild sunburn lasts anywhere from three to five days, whereas a more severe sunburn can last up to seven days,” explains Karan Lal, D.O., M.S., F.A.A.D., double board-certified dermatologist with Affiliated Dermatology in Scottsdale, AZ.
How to treat sunburn peeling and blisters
Blistering and peeling are signs of a more severe sunburn—which will not only stick around longer but requires special care.
For blisters from sunburn, Dr. Lal recommends using oral anti-inflammatories (like Motrin, Advil, or Aleve) to reduce pain and inflammation. If the blisters open up or pop on their own, he recommends applying Vaseline or another healing ointment and treating it like a wound. “Do not pop any blisters,” says Dr. Lal. “Let the body do its own thing.” According to Dr. Lal, popping blisters can cause a dangerous amount of fluid loss and increase the risk of infection.
“If you have peeling, you really want to stick to moisturizing the skin,” Dr. Lal adds. “So you want to use things like calamine lotion, Vaseline, hydrocortisone ointment, or aloe vera,” to hydrate, nourish, and soothe the skin. As with blisters, it’s best to leave peeling skin alone. Avoid exfoliating the skin physically or chemically, and do not pick at or peel it. If you do, Dr. Lal says you could put yourself at risk of infection, scarring, and hyperpigmentation.
How to prevent sunburn
While these sunburn cures can help, don’t make the same mistake twice. After your burn, it takes three to six months for your skin to return to normal, Dr. Schreiber says. “When you get a sunburn, and the top layer of skin peels off, the newly exposed skin is more sensitive than ever. That means you’ll burn even faster than you did before if you’re not careful.”
Be aware of your sun exposure and protect yourself by applying sunscreen. Look for a broad-spectrum formula with a minimum of SPF 30, ideally with a strong physical blocker like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, says Norman Levine, M.D., a dermatologist in Tucson, AZ.
Apply sunblock liberally about 30 minutes before heading outside, even when it’s overcast, and don’t forget to protect your lips, hands, ears, and the back of your neck. Reapply every two hours. Wearing protective clothing like hats, lightweight long-sleeved tees, and cover-ups can also help keep skin protected.
When should you call a doctor about a sunburn?
Some burns are simply too severe to be treated at home, says Dr. Basler. Consult a doctor if you experience nausea, chills, fever, faintness, extensive blistering, general weakness, patches of purple discoloration, or intense itching. Be aware that if the burn seems to be spreading, you could have an infection compounding the problem.
You should also contact your physician if you’re taking prescription medications. Certain drugs, like antibiotics, tranquilizers, and anti-fungal medications can increase your sensitivity to the sun and cause reactions, says Dr. Basler. Oral contraceptives, diuretics, drugs for some types of diabetes, and even PABA-containing sunscreens may also increase your risk of sunburn.
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Alisa Hrustic is the deputy editor at Prevention, where she leads the brand’s digital editorial strategy. She’s spent the last five years interviewing top medical experts, interpreting peer-reviewed studies, and reporting on health, nutrition, weight loss, and fitness trends for national brands like Women’s Health and Men’s Health. She spends most of her days diving into the latest wellness trends, writing and editing stories about health conditions, testing skincare products, and trying to understand the next greatest internet obsession.
Madeleine, Prevention’s assistant editor, has a history with health writing from her experience as an editorial assistant at WebMD, and from her personal research at university. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in biopsychology, cognition, and neuroscience—and she helps strategize for success across Prevention’s social media platforms.
Mona Gohara, M.D. is a Yale-trained, board-certified dermatologist, Oberlin College-bred feminist, medical media expert, fashion fanatic, mom, wife, and virgo. Mona enjoys educating on skin health, skin cancer, skin of color, and sun protection. She has done this through writing, lecturing on the local, national, and international levels, and by engaging popular media. Mona is an active member of the American Academy of Dermatology, where she chaired the social media task force, The Women’s Dermatologic Society where she serves as president, and The American Society For Dermatologic Surgery, where she chairs the DEI Work Group. She is also a member of Prevention’s Medical Review Board.
