We all love a day in the sun, but if you’re not properly protected, the sun’s powerful rays can damage your skin and cause a bad sunburn. Unfortunately, severe sunburns often result in sun damage.

If you have a sunburn that’s giving you pain and discomfort, there are ways to soothe your skin at home. Our team at So Cal Body Institute recommends several home remedies that can help relieve pain and irritation from a sunburn.

Symptoms of a bad sunburn

For mild sunburns, you can expect some skin redness and pain. Your skin will start peeling after a couple of days. But severe sunburns can give you more painful symptoms, including:

  • Skin redness and burning
  • Blistering
  • Pain and swelling
  • Dehydration
  • Skin infection
  • Electrolyte imbalance

Some people may not even know they have a sunburn since the symptoms can take a few hours to flare-up. That’s why it’s important to protect your skin with sunscreen, hats, and sunglasses, and reapply sunscreen every few hours.

Try a cold compress

Putting a cold compress on your skin is one of the quickest and easiest ways to relieve sunburn pain, since sunburns cause inflammation of the skin.

Don’t put ice directly on your skin because it can do more harm than good. Instead, put some ice in a small bag and wrap it in a soft cloth before applying.

Taking a cool shower or soaking in cool bath water is another great way to help with skin pain and inflammation.

Use essential oils and lotion

Using essential oils on your sunburn can help with the stinging and pain. You can either apply a small amount to your skin or add some lavender or chamomile oil to your bath.

Applying lotion to a sunburn keeps your skin moisturized, which soothes the skin and helps prevent peeling. It also helps with itchiness and pain. Aloe vera is often the go-to lotion for sunburn because it immediately provides pain relief.

Apply a cloth soaked in tea

Applying a cloth that’s soaked in cooled green or chamomile tea soothes your skin and helps with pain. This is because both types of tea contain polyphenols, substances with anti-inflammatory properties.

Many studies show that polyphenols can not only help soothe sunburns, they can also help protect your skin from damaging UV rays and prevent sunburns.

Black tea may also help. It contains tannic acid, which releases heat from your sunburn and helps restore your skin’s natural pH balance.

Stay hydrated

Sunburns dehydrate your skin. Make sure to drink plenty of water while recovering from a sunburn as it promotes faster healing.

Prevent sunburns and keep your skin looking healthy

Bad sunburns and long-term sun exposure can affect your skin’s texture, damage the deeper skin layers, and give your skin an aged appearance.

Want to keep your skin looking youthful and smooth? Talk to one of our aesthetic experts at So Cal Body Institute in Chino, California. We can help you learn the best ways to prevent sunburns and go over treatment options if you have sun damage.

To get started, give our friendly staff a call or visit us online to book your consultation today.

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