Ok, so you didn’t use Waxhead Sunscreen, you stayed out way too long, or you forgot to use sunscreen at all. You got red and now you’re wondering what helps sunburn?

Skin cells exposed to UV light from the sun respond by making Vitamin D and melanin (a "tan"), and with too much sun, skin becomes inflamed, red and swollen. Here are 6 tips to ease sunburn pain and repair damaged skin cells.

 

1. Hydration

Drinking fluids, especially well-filtered water, rehydrates skin and speeds healing, and simply makes you feel better. Coconut water can be even better, since it contains natural electrolytes, without all the junk in commercial sport drinks.

 

2. Anti-inflammatory Drugs

Take 1-2 ibuprofen, which helps reduce sunburn pain and skin inflammation. Pain relievers, such as aceteminifin or naproxen, can also help, but they don't reduce swelling like ibuprofen does.

 

3. Cold Compress

A washcloth with cool water or melted ice reduces swelling, inflammation and pain.

 

4. Chilled Cucumbers

For severe pain, blend a chilled cucumber then apply the watery soothing paste to sunburned areas.

 

5. Vitamin E

Cut open a Vitamin E pill, then drip and softly rub the liquid onto sunburned skin. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that attacks and eliminates free radicals created by UV rays.

 

6. Night Repair Serum

UV rays break down collagen and create free radicals that damage skin cell DNA and cause long term skin aging like sunspots and wrinkles. A good night repair serum helps slowly reverse sun damage and slows the aging process by repairing skin at the cellular level. Such serums should ONLY be used at night for a good reason: they often contain otherwise good ingredients like retinyl palmitate (Vitamin A) that encourage cell division, normally a great thing, but that's unsafe to do when skin cells are actively DNA-damaged. Check out our Night Repair Serum if you'd like to learn more about how it works to maximize long term skin health.

 

In Conclusion: What helps sunburn?

You can use one or all of these tactics the next time you’re asking “What helps sunburn?” However, whenever heading outside, we highly recommend you first look for shade, wear a wide-brimmed hat or long sleeve shirt and pants, and apply a safe sunscreen to skin that will get exposed to more than 15-30 minutes of sun.