It’s happened to us all. You spend the day at the beach or pool and swear you covered every square inch of your face and body with your favorite sunscreen, only to discover a painful red sunburn on the surface where you anticipated a bronzy tan. Maybe you forgot to reapply every two hours. Maybe it was one too many Aperol spritzes or that oceanfront nap that put your skin at risk. But no matter the reason, you are now the proud owner of inflamed, scarlet-colored, sunburned skin.
Santa Monica, California, board-certified dermatologist Dr. Ava Shamban, M.D., says sunburns are perhaps the worst patient condition for a dermatologist to see or treat, particularly since they are usually self-inflicted and 100% avoidable. “There is no such thing as a good tan, and no natural sunburn is a ‘healthy glow.’ We all know better and must do better with the tools we have today, including sunscreen; sun avoidance; monitoring the UV index; wearing UPF clothing, hats, and sunglasses; to protect our skin.”
Sporting a sunburn is probably not the look you are going for this summer, but there’s no reason to freak out just yet. While most burns subside on their own, there are plenty of tricks and tips as well as dos and don’ts to help heal the skin and get it back to healthy. Ahead, TZR taps three dermatologists for their expert insights on how to properly deal with sunburned skin and minimize damage while speeding up the healing process.
Scottsdale, Arizona, double board-certified dermatologist Dr. Karan Lal, D.O., explains that a sunburn occurs when radiation damages the DNA in skin cells, triggering an inflammatory response that results in the characteristic redness, pain, and blistering. “There is cytotoxicity happening at the cellular level where skin cells undergo cell death from the UV radiation,” he says.
A sunburn happens for one of two reasons: Either the skin isn’t protected with sunblock or not enough of it is applied (or reapplied), rendering it red, inflamed, itchy, peeling, uncomfortable, and in some cases, blistered and swollen — all the key hallmarks of a typical sunburn. Fever, pain, chills, nausea, headaches, and general discomfort can also accompany sunburned skin.
While it’s impossible to pinpoint exactly how much sun exposure is necessary to instigate a sunburn since Lal says some people burn within 15 minutes of being in the sun while others take longer for a sunburn to develop due to basal melanin content and UV radiation levels, it’s repeat DNA damage that leads to a buildup of mutations in the skin. “Over time, these mutations predispose the skin to aging and skin cancer,” he shares. The damage not only compromises the DNA but can also affect proteins and lipids in the skin, which are necessary for a solid structure and natural youthfulness. “If skin cells cannot repair themselves, they are more prone to skin cancer and premature aging, which includes fine lines, wrinkles, sunspots, and uneven skin texture,” says board-certified dermatologist Dr. Corey L. Hartman, M.D., and the founder of Skin Wellness Dermatology in Birmingham, Alabama. “That’s why people who tanned a lot as teens look much older in their 30s, 40s, and 50s compared to those who protected their skin from the sun when they were younger.”
While most sunburns heal on their own, it’s nearly impossible to target DNA mutations and undo the damage. It’s also difficult to determine precisely when sun damage begins or how much exposure leads to it, since the amount of sun exposure and time required to cause a burn varies from person to person, Shamban says. That’s why dermatologists always recommend wearing broad-spectrum sunscreen daily.
Rule No. 1 when recovering from a sunburn is to baby the skin and treat it with plenty of anti-inflammatory and hydrating ingredients. There are also several dos and don’ts to follow to ensure the skin heals properly and returns to a healthier state.
Just as certain ingredients can exacerbate sunburned skin, the same applies to water temperature. Hartman says showering or bathing in cool, not cold (since it can shock the skin) water will help release some of the heat in the skin and alleviate any discomfort.
One of the oldest tricks in the book is to apply a damp, cold soft washcloth or rag to a sunburn, which Hartman shares can reduce heat in the skin. Or soak a washcloth in full-fat milk, rich in skin-healing vitamins, let it harden in the freezer for an hour, and then apply it to the skin as a compress to help calm any redness and irritation.
You can also apply chilled Greek yogurt to sunburned skin to achieve a similar effect or opt for a premade post-sun skin helper like Korres Greek Yoghurt Nourishing Gel Cream. “Greek yogurt can help cool a sunburn and lower inflammation,” Shamban shares. “It also contains good probiotics, which can help promote healing and fight off bacteria. But it has lactic acid in it too, a light yet mild exfoliant, so make sure the skin is not blistering before applying it so that you do not remove any of the skin’s layers.”
To help heal the skin, apply serums or creams containing anti-inflammatory ingredients that help reduce redness and provide some relief. Lal recommends pure aloe vera as a skin-soothing agent and topical steroids, such as 1% hydrocortisone, to help treat the resulting inflammation from a sunburn, both of which he considers the backbone of sunburn treatment. “I also like Avene Cicalfate Restorative and Protective Cream, which has been studied on inflamed skin.” Serums containing green tea, such as Exponent Calm Revival Green Tea Resveratrol Serum, also help reduce inflammation in the skin caused by UV exposure while providing a soothing effect.
No matter whether a sunburn appears on your face or body, it’s essential to apply a good moisturizer to help calm the skin and restore hydration, as a sunburn depletes the skin of its natural moisture supply. Hartman suggests using gentle moisturizers with ingredients such as aloe vera, soy, hyaluronic acid, and glycerin, applied at least twice a day, to help replenish moisture in the skin. “Vitamin E is also helpful to use since it combats free-radical damage while hydrating the skin, so you get a dual benefit from it.”
If you neglected to wear a hat or apply sunscreen to your part and hairline, you’ll want to help heal the affected skin. To alleviate flaking and peeling, use a scalp serum such as Nutire T.2 Night Restoring Scalp Serum, which hydrates the scalp and relieves any discomfort.
For persistent itching, Shamban recommends calamine lotion, such as Caladryl Clear Topical Skin Protectant, which contains zinc carbonate and ferric acid, to soothe and calm the skin. “It also helps reduce inflammation from the sunburn, too,” she adds.
When the skin is sunburned, it’s essential to stay hydrated and drink plenty of water, as the burn can deplete the body of moisture and cause dehydration. “It’s important to drink a lot of water since it helps replace water lost from the burn,” Hartman says.
For starters, never pick or peel a sunburn, which can only make things worse. Hartman says doing so disrupts the body’s natural healing process. “By peeling the skin, you also expose fresh, new skin to the environment prematurely, making it more susceptible to infection,” he explains. And if the skin has blisters, don’t pop them since popping sun blisters can lead to prolonged healing, infection, scarring, and pigmentation. Instead, Shamban recommends treating blisters with an antibiotic ointment and bandage.
Sunburned skin is inflamed, and any type of exfoliating acid, ingredient, or product is off limits until the skin has healed and returned to normal. Hartman advises avoiding products with retinols, retinoids, or acids like AHAs and BHAs, which can further irritate the skin as it attempts to repair itself and heal. He also recommends avoiding alcohol and witch hazel since both can burn the skin and further aggravate it.
Lal suggests steering clear of topical products that contain fragrance, as this can cause irritated or burned skin. Perfume and fragranced body lotions are also on the do-not-use list, as they can potentially cause an allergic reaction and impede healing.
Shamban insists on abstaining from icing sunburned skin, even if it feels good, since it can further exacerbate the issue and even cause frostbite. You can, however, treat the affected areas with a cool compress or tepid bath water.