Quick answer
Get out of the sun. Cool the skin with a cool shower or damp compress for 10–15 minutes, several times a day. Drink extra fluids. Apply a bland fragrance-free moisturiser or pure aloe vera to skin that is still damp. Take ibuprofen or paracetamol if suitable. Leave blisters intact and let peeling skin come away on its own. Nothing reverses the burn — a mild sunburn settles in about 3–5 days regardless.
Seek medical care the same day if
Step 1 — Get out of UV immediately
The visible burn lags several hours behind the exposure that caused it, so by the time skin looks pink you have usually taken more UV than you think. Move indoors or into deep shade, and cover the area with loose clothing rather than relying on sunscreen over already-injured skin.
Step 2 — Cool the skin properly
- Cool (not cold) shower or bath for 10–15 minutes, or a damp cloth held against the area.
- Repeat several times through the first 24–48 hours — this is the single most effective comfort measure.
- Pat dry, leaving the skin slightly damp rather than rubbing it dry.
- Do not use ice or ice packs directly: they can add a cold injury to damaged tissue.
Step 3 — Rehydrate from the inside
A burn draws fluid to the skin surface and away from circulation. Drink more than usual for the first two days, and treat dizziness, headache, dark urine or a dry mouth as a signal to increase intake — or, if severe, to get medical advice.
Step 4 — Moisturise damp skin with something bland
- Fragrance-free emollient, or pure aloe vera gel where aloe is the first ingredient.
- Apply while skin is still damp to hold water in the barrier.
- Skip heavy petroleum occlusives in the first hours — they trap heat.
- Avoid anything with alcohol, fragrance, menthol or exfoliating acids.
Step 5 — Manage pain and inflammation
An over-the-counter anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen reduces both pain and the inflammatory component of the burn, provided it is appropriate for you. Paracetamol is an alternative for pain alone. A pharmacist can advise on 1% hydrocortisone for small, itchy, unbroken areas — it should not go on blistered or broken skin.
What not to put on sunburn
| Avoid | Why |
|---|---|
| Benzocaine / lidocaine sprays | Frequent cause of allergic contact dermatitis on already-inflamed skin |
| Ice packs on bare skin | Risk of cold injury over a heat injury |
| Petroleum jelly early on | Traps heat in the first hours |
| Butter and home remedies | No benefit; infection and irritation risk |
| Fragranced or alcohol-based lotions | Sting, dry and irritate the barrier |
| Scrubs, acids, retinoids | Strip fragile healing skin and prolong redness |
Blisters and peeling
Leave intact blisters alone — they are a sterile dressing over healing tissue. Cover them loosely with a non-adhesive dressing if they rub. Do not pull peeling skin: removing it early exposes fragile new tissue and can leave uneven pigment. Full detail is in our guide to sunburn blisters.
How long before it settles?
Redness and pain peak 12–24 hours after exposure, so the burn looks worse the next morning than on the day. A mild first-degree burn resolves over roughly 3–5 days with peeling around days 4–7; a blistering burn takes 1–2 weeks. See the full sunburn healing timeline.
After it heals: what the burn left behind
The redness resolves but the DNA damage does not. Blistering sunburn, particularly in childhood, is one of the strongest behavioural risk factors for melanoma. Once healed, photograph any new or changing mark in sun-exposed skin and check it — the skin cancer risk quiz takes two minutes if you have a history of severe burns.
Screen a sun-exposed spot free
Photograph a mark and get an educational screening in about 30 seconds. Not a diagnosis.
Frequently Asked Questions
Get out of the sun, cool the area with a cool shower or damp compress for 10–15 minutes, repeat several times a day, drink extra fluids, apply a bland fragrance-free moisturiser or pure aloe vera while the skin is still damp, and take ibuprofen or paracetamol if suitable for you. Started within the first few hours, this is the fastest route to comfort — but nothing shortens the underlying repair.
Pure aloe vera gel is soothing and cooling and helps with the tightness and itch of a mild burn. Evidence that it speeds healing is weak, and many drugstore 'after-sun' gels add alcohol or fragrance that stings burned skin. Choose a product where aloe is the first ingredient and there is no added fragrance.
An over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen can reduce the pain and inflammation of a sunburn if it is appropriate for you and you have no contraindications (stomach ulcers, kidney disease, certain medications, pregnancy). Paracetamol is an alternative for pain relief. Check with a pharmacist if unsure.
No. Ice and ice packs applied directly to burned skin risk a cold injury on top of the heat injury. Cool tap water, a cool shower or a damp cloth gives the same relief safely.
A low-strength (1%) hydrocortisone cream is sometimes used short-term on small areas of very itchy or inflamed unbroken sunburned skin. It should not be used on blistered or broken skin, on large areas, on children's faces, or for more than a few days without advice from a pharmacist or doctor.
Avoid benzocaine and lidocaine 'sunburn sprays' (a common cause of allergic contact dermatitis), petroleum jelly and thick occlusives in the first hours because they trap heat, butter or other home remedies, alcohol-based products, fragranced lotions, and exfoliating acids or scrubs.
A burn pulls fluid to the skin surface, so drink more than usual for the first 48 hours and watch for dark urine, dizziness, headache or a dry mouth. If you cannot keep fluids down, or feel faint, treat that as a reason to seek medical advice rather than a hydration problem to manage at home.
Cool the skin, offer plenty of fluids, dress them in loose cotton and use a bland fragrance-free moisturiser. Do not use anaesthetic sprays. Any significant sunburn in a baby under one year, or a burn with fever, blistering, lethargy or vomiting in an older child, should be assessed by a clinician the same day.
Keep the burned area covered with clothing and out of direct sun until redness and tenderness have completely resolved. Sunscreen should not be applied to blistered or broken skin — physical cover is the safer option there.
Seek same-day care for blistering across a large area, fever or chills, severe headache, confusion or fainting, vomiting, signs of dehydration, sunburn affecting the eyes, or any significant burn in an infant. Also see a clinician if a burn becomes increasingly painful, hot and spreading red after a few days, which can indicate infection.
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Medical Disclaimer
Educational information only, aligned with published guidance from the American Academy of Dermatology, the NHS and the Skin Cancer Foundation. It does not replace advice from a doctor or pharmacist. ScanSkinAI does not treat burns or diagnose skin cancer.