Soothe a Bad Sunburn With These 6 Pain Relief Tips

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2) Hop in the shower or bath When you do get indoors, take a cool shower or bath to start easing the burning sensation. Cool water also decreases excess blood flow to the skin, which will help reduce inflammation and redness, Dr. Reddy says. If the burn is only on a small part of your body, like your face or your shoulders, a cool compress will work, too. Just avoid putting ice directly on your burn, since it can irritate your skin, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. (Putting ice directly on your skin can even cause damage like frostbite.) And if you can control your shower pressure, keep it low: Strong, high-pressure showers are not only irritating on skin but can also potentially burst open blistersputting you at a greater risk for infection, says Filamer Kabigting, M.D., an assistant professor of dermatology at Columbia University Medical Center. Stick to cool showers on the lowest pressure possible, or even a soak in a cool tub, until your skin has healed. Running cool baths allows you to submerge the burn as much as you want without worrying about strong pressure from the shower head. If you can, test the water temperature with a non-sunburned area of your body, incase its warmer than you realizedor worse, freezing cold. For potentially better results, try adding a few tablespoons of baking soda to your bath. The cooking aid can provide serious sunburn relief. Just make sure not to stay in the tub more than 20 minutes as longer and it may dry out your skin. Shutterstock

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3) Slather up your skin When you get out of the shower, dry off by patting your sensitive skin gently with a towel. Then, while your skin is still damp, apply a moisturizer that contains soothing ingredients like soy or aloe vera. Try Dermalogica After Sun Repair , suggests Dr. Reddy. Moisturizing is key: Sunburns dry out your skin by damaging its outermost layer and making it more susceptible to water loss, says Dr. Reddy. Products like these, however, rehydrate your skin, which make the tightness and itching feel better. For really painful spots, the American Academy of Dermatology recommends applying an OTC hydrocortisone cream, which reduces itching, redness, and swelling. Be sure to steer clear of any lotions or creams with ingredients like benzocaine (or other ingredients that end in -caine), though. They can irritate your burned skin or cause an allergic reaction. Shutterstock

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4) Hit up your medicine cabinet Next, pop an NSAID (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug) pain reliever like aspirin or ibuprofen. Both work by fighting inflammation, Dr. Reddy says, which can help you feel more comfortable as well as take down some of the redness and swelling. Shutterstock

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5) Play the long game Over the next few days, continue keeping your skin hydrated by applying your moisturizer regularly. Sunburn relief will come, it just may take a few days of care and shade to do so. Make sure to drink plenty of water, too, which will hydrate your skin from the inside, Dr. Reddy says. You can keep taking aspirin or ibuprofen as directed until the pain eases up. Shutterstock

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6) Don't scratch or irritate skin While your burn is healingwhich should take about a weektry not to do anything that would irritate it more. Don't pick at peeling skin or pop blisters, however tempting it may be. If you are suffering from a burn and the skin is starting to peel, dont exfoliate. Avoid harsh scrubs, coarse washcloths or loofahs over the area, Sonia Batra, MD , a dermatologist and co-host of the television show The Doctors previously told Mens Health . Also, as hard as it might be, try not to scratch the burned skinit can have the same damaging effect." She cautions that doing so can allow bacteria into the body and cause an infection. As far as fabrics go, cotton is your best bet for ultra-sensitive, sunburned skin, says Dr. Kabigtingthe softer, the better. Outfit-wise, go for pieces that are a little looser and wont rub up against your burned parts all day long. And of course, stay out of the sun. Burned skin is damaged, which makes it more susceptible to further sunburn, Dr. Reddy says. If your burn doesnt seem to get better after a week, or if you have severe pain or blistering, a fever or chills, or nausea or vomiting, you should seek emergency care, Dr. Reddy says. All are signs of a severe burn, which may require treatment like skin dressings, wound care, and additional anti-inflammatories. Puwadol Paradon / EyeEm - Getty Images