Sore Skin? Here's How to Soothe a Sunburn

It’s peak summertime, which means many of us are spending plenty of time in the sun. The number of beach days, barbeques, parties, and other outdoor activities we get involved in during the summer means that sometimes we may accidentally burn our skin. Oops.

We all know that sunburns are an absolute pain (literally.) A nasty burn can cause a lot of discomforts, including inflammation, blistering, and redness. Of course, avoiding getting a sunburn altogether is ideal. After all, a sunburn (or even a suntan) increases your risk of developing skin cancer.

But we understand that now and again, you may forget to reapply your lotion or misjudge the strength of the sun’s rays. If you’re experiencing that horrible and unfamiliar discomfort of sunburned skin, we’re here to help you feel better and speed up the healing process. Here are our top tips on how to soothe sunburned skin.

Take a Cold Shower

When your skin is on fire, the last thing you want to do is hop into a boiling hot shower. Not only will hot water burn your skin up even more, but it will strip away your essential oils. This can dry your skin out even further and can make it more sensitive.

To help relieve the pain and discomfort, take regular cool baths or showers. When you get out of the shower or bathtub, gently pat your skin dry but leave a little water to linger. Then, apply a soothing moisturizer to help trap the water into your skin.

Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize

Speaking of moisturizers, make sure to choose a formula packed with the right ingredients to soothe your sore skin. Aloe vera is known to speed up the healing of first- and second-degree burns.

Depending on how severely burnt you are, you should apply an aloe vera moisturizer several times a day. Keep using it until your burn has healed.

We suggest reaching for the Tuel Calm Soothing Moisture Cream. The formula is light and creamy with antioxidants and soothing extracts. The product contains aloe vera, green tea, avocado, algae, and shea butter that team wonderfully to repair, heal, and condition sunburned and fragile skin. After application, you’ll experience instant relief as the formula calms and cools your poor skin.

Try Topical Hydrocortisone Cream

Hydrocortisone cream is the only topical steroid you can purchase over the counter. If you’re seeking some itch relief ASAP, go for hydrocortisone one percent. The cream will alleviate pain and will even prevent you from scratching your sunburn and making it worse.

However, be sure not to treat your sunburn with any products ending with ‘caine’, such as benzocaine. These products may irritate the skin or result in an allergic reaction, which isn’t what you need right now.

PCA Skin’s CliniCalm 1% cream is a soothing treatment with a maximum strength of one percent hydrocortisone. The calming blend of ingredients is gentle on the skin, providing temporary relief of uncomfortable itching and irritation. The formula is ideal for relieving redness, inflammation, and irritation resulting from a few too many hours lounging in the sun.

The cream is safe for consecutive use for up to seven days.

Drink Plenty of Water

It may seem like a given, but be sure to glug down plenty of H2O following a day in the sun. Fluids are drawn to the skin’s surface and away from the rest of the body, helping you cool down your poor burning skin.

Drink a ton of water the days after you develop a sunburn, enough so that your pee appears clear rather than yellow.

Take Extra Care of Your Skin

When dealing with a painful sunburn, focus on two things. First is helping your sunburn get better, and second is preventing it from worsening.

That means you shouldn’t spend another day frying on the beach if your skin is already beetroot red. Avoid direct sun exposure until after your sunburn has cured. That’s even if it means covering up in kaftan on a couple of days on your holiday – sorry.

Wear clothing that covers your skin while outdoors. Items made from tightly woven fabrics work best as they block the sun out. Try holding the piece up to a bright light to see if any glow shines through.

You should probably fold away the skinny jeans and denim miniskirts for now, too. Tight clothes can rub on sunburn, making the skin even more tender and prone to peeling. Ouch.

Stick to loose, breathable, and comfy pieces made from fabrics like cotton and linen. A flowy maxi dress is perfect and is super comfortable to wear too.

To protect your face, pop on a cute wide-brimmed sunhat and a pair of shades. A hat made from canvas is great from blocking out the sun’s beaming rays.

If you need any more convincing, here are five reasons to wear sunscreen every day.