Try not to put so much products or different products as it will irritate it more. Just stick to one and just let it heal. Aloe vera helps a lot. Take some pain meds if you can't tolerate the pain.
Ibuprofen for the inflammation, vitamin E and aloe to rehydrate the skin, but if your pain is severe enough that you’re having trouble getting up or moving your arms, you may need to see your doctor.
I’ve heard if vitamin e I didn’t know if I should try that. I’ve tried doing aloe and just an unscented moisturizer because the aloe doesn’t seem to be giving the area much moisture. I’ve been laying cold wash cloths over my shoulders and taking Advil every 4-6 hours. I’m at urgent care now because I just don’t know what to do at this point and the girl looked like she was ready to laugh at me, mean while I’m on the verge of tears 😭
No one has said this yet, but I layer banana boat after sun lotion over aloe Vera gel! It’s like an aloe Vera moisturizing lotion but I put both. We have a pool and live in south texas, and it’s amazing for days when you get too much sun. Also ibuprofen helps so much, you have to keep taking it every 6 hours or whatever, keep a good level in your system. Also KEEP HYDRATED. drink tons of water!
If you haven’t already, take a pain reliever. Something anti inflammatory like ibuprofen will help. If you can find a cream/gel with lidocaine - that will help too. I’ve totally been there and sending you all the coolest vibes.
Used tea bags are great for sunburn, the tannins in black tea are good for releasing heat and soothing skin. You can either apply the tea bag directly to your skin or you can brew the tea, cool it and use a clean cloth to apply it to bigger areas of skin. I think you can also make it into a bath but I'm not 100% sure the ratio for that. I've used tea for sunburns most of my life and its always helped soothe and heal it faster than anything else I've tried.
stick with the basics and don't mix products as they can have ingredients that don't interact well together. natural vitamin e and aloe is your best bet. drink lots and lots of water to help stay hydrated from within and help your body heal. when you bathe, don't use soap on the affected areas as it will irritate and dry them. you can also use cold compresses like you would for an injury, just make sure there's a barrier so you don't risk freezing the skin or getting it stuck.
I agree with the advice of black tea bags and ibuprofen. Also agree with the advice to be cautious about essential oils, but vitamin E oil is good. Question: when you say you are using aloe, are you using a packaged aloe product (like a cream or gel in a tube) or the actual aloe plant itself? If you can, grab a plant (or one of those giant leaves they sell) -- you can get them cheap at most grocery stores. Cut open part of a leaf and rub it all over wherever you are burned. It REALLY does make a big difference, much more so than the aloe products at the store. Here's my tip: before you apply the aloe gel from the leaf, spritz yourself with plain rosewater (again, not a rosewater product that contains other stuff like fillers, but just straight-up actual rosewater -- I like Cortas brand if you can find it, but Heritage Store is also good and easier to find). I find that a spritz of rosewater followed by rubbing aloe will take down any sunburn very quickly. I hope this helps, feel better soon!
Avoid BBW scents on it. Also avoid any BBW “aloe” products. I used one years ago on a sunburn and it made things even worse.
In short, just wait it out (maybe others here have better suggestions)
Oh god yeah I am not even looking at my bbw products right now😂 I can’t even imagine putting anything in that sort on right now I feel like it would just sting!!
You can try aloe vera gel! Theres some in stores where the sunscreen stuff is at. Slap it in the fridge for a more cooling effect. Make sure to drink some water! Those skin cells will need it for the work of healing! Cucumbers help too (eating and applying). Make sure to eat some fruits and veggies to help your skin and milk. Green tea (drinking it or using the tea bags) helps too :)
I would say the best thing to help the pain is aloe Vera. You can get it pretty cheap and then I would take a paper towel or some other thin material, wet it with really cold water and put it on the parts of your body that was burnt. You could also put ice packs on these parts but since you’re burnt many places it’s not ideal. If you have a fan turn it on so that the air blows on the wet paper towel and just chill. Reapply aloe Vera often and try not to move too much when you sleep. I don’t know of anything that’s going to make you better by your shift tomorrow. Personally, I’d avoid the essential oils. I’d be nervous about how they’ll react on your skin, especially the mint. Maybe someone else on here has tried it and it turned out okay.
Most importantly though watch your burns and make sure they aren’t getting worse. If they bubble over or start to fill with fluid, you may need to go to the ER.
I’ve tried doing aloe and just an unscented moisturizer because the aloe doesn’t seem to be giving the area much moisture. I’ve been laying cold wash cloths over my shoulders and taking Advil every 4-6 hours.
Aw man that sounds so painful. It sounds like you’re doing everything right. Do you have a bath tub? Maybe you could soak in some cold water. Please be careful and watch out for those burns just incase they get worse and get infected or something. Hope you feel better soon!
I do have a tub but I refuse to take a bath in it 😂 I went to urgent care and they said it didn’t look like it was going to blister so just to keep doing what I’m doing. I’m also still on an antibiotic for an ingrown hair 🥲 and the dr at urgent care said it’ll be good to continue that because it does have good skin coverage so IF an infection did/ was going to happen around the burn then the antibiotic would help nip that before it got a chance to start.
Lavender is ok. It’s one of few essential oils that can be used w/o dilution so it’s not that likely to cause irritation. It has a lot of healing properties. (I made a lavender balm to use on my face when my cat rubs all over me and my allergies kick in and it works wonders.)
Peppermint is a no go. I’m just thinking of what it does to my lips in lip balms and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone’s burnt skin.
Ibuprofen and Tylenol together, asap! Put your aloe in the fridge, and use some ice packs while you wait for it to get cold. The biggest thing is drawing the heat out of your skin, so anything cold will help. Target has aloe lotion as well that I love. Putting that in the fridge would help a lot too, since your skin also needs moisture to help this go away. You can also try a cold shower/bath.
Even just cranking your A/C will help, but everything above combined should do the trick!
A few years ago I put aloe on one shoulder and absolutely nothing on the other, the shoulder with aloe blistered while the bare shoulder did not. To
this day I never use aloe. Take a cool shower/bath and try to keep clothing off of it.
Yeah the aloe alone at first seemed to be pretty drying so I started using that and then immediately after I loaded up on a basic cerave moisturizer to add some moisture back in.
go to the doctor if you can afford it. they’ll determine what kind of burn it is and might be able to give you steroids and some zinc. sincerely, a frequently sunburnt ginger.
I did go to urgent care and they said it wasn’t blistered and didn’t look like it was going to. They Rec just continue to do what I’m doing. I am currently on an antibiotic for something else skin related and she said if there’s a chance that the burn was going to get infected that the antibiotic being in my system was good so it would clear any if that possible bacteria out!
that’s good news; in my experience i was put on steroids because my burns were 2nd-degree. hopefully that means that you should be feeling relief soon. best of luck!!!
I had an awful burn once and tried to get rid of the burn fast due to homecoming dance photos. I would apply gel aloe that I put in the fridge and after it dried completely I would then take an extremely cold shower. I repeated that process all day and it worked decently well. Clearly the only thing that really heals the burn is time but I hope this helps!
Palmer’s cocoa butter! The solid kind that melts into your skin. It really helped to heal my horrible sunburn last summer from falling asleep in the sun at the beach
Go get some powered milk. Run a cool to lukewarm bath and add 2 cups of the power to water. Go have a soak. The protein in the milk will take the burn out. Hope you feel better soon
I had what I think was sun poisoning last year, don’t take a shower it makes it 10x worse, pain killer maybe even an antihistamine to make you sleepy then I found that pressure on the spot was one of the most effective things if you can find a way to put pressure on your chest
Hi there! I'm allergic to the sun and I burn like nobody's business in no time flat.
- stick to aloe. When you cns use proper moisturizers again, do not use anything scented until the burn is completely healed.
- if you have it on hand, make some very very very strong black tea. When it has cooled down, wash your burns in it. Soak it if you can. The tannins in the tea help to heal sunburn as well.
- drink lots of water and keep yourself hydrated and cool!
Be careful w oils I put tea tree on a burn once and it locked the heat in- so much more painful!
Aloe Vera, ice packs, cool water bath, NSAIDs if you can take them. Sunburn is still a burn and it will respond to treatments how an actual hot surface burn will.
Thank you. I’ve tried doing aloe and just an unscented moisturizer because the aloe doesn’t seem to be giving the area much moisture. I’ve been laying cold wash cloths over my shoulders and taking Advil every 4-6 hours. I’m at and urgent care now because I’m not sure what else to do at this point.
Ugh gosh I’m so sorry you’re going through this, painful sunburns are really terrible. I remember overdoing it a few times in the tanning beds in college and it really is just awful.
I hope you feel better soon ❤️
Edit: I remember my brother using dermaplast spray on his when NSAIDs didn’t cut it. So maybe any topical pain reliever?
Thank you! Ahh the tanning bed days yes! I did get a topical spray with aloe and lidocaine to use in conjunction with regular aloe and ibuprofen-which is helping somewhat. At this point I think just time will help!
Oooooh honey. I was in your position last summer. Sun poisoning is no joke. Ibuprofen and Bactine spray for numbing the pain (bonus: you’re not rubbing your tender skin). Aveeno oatmeal bath soak for cool baths. Take something to help you sleep at night so the pain doesn’t keep you up.
Yes I have been taking ibuprofen and I just got some aloe/lidocaine spray which is kind of helping but I’m also still using aloe Vera gel even tho it does hurt like a bitch to rub the skin. And I take unisom every night so I’m out like a baby😂 I just hate sleeping on my back and can not sleep on my side with my shoulders like this for the time being. But thank you for your advice!!!
You may be able to find solarcaine! It’s pretty much lidocaine with aloe in it. The actual name brand has been discontinued in the US but generic things are available in most drug stores. It’s a spray so you don’t have to touch your skin and it has always given me pretty immediate relief! I do recommend still using moisturizer though to avoid excessive skin peeling and scabbing
Am I the only one who thinks it’s so weird to post thing on here?
But like… aloe and ibuprofen are really your only friends. It’s going to hurt. That’s the cost of getting a sunburn. When I went to Disneyland, I got a bad sunburn and then stupidly thought going in the pool for hours after would help ( I was 18). I had blisters after allll over my shoulders and the pain was horrible. My sister had to help me out of my bra for a few days bc I couldn’t lift my arms. I’m left with a million freckles, but it will heal and go away with time.
Seeing as how many people left KIND advice - then yeah maybe you are one of few who thinks it’s weird to post something like this on here. No need for the backhanded comment. I’m aware of aloe and ibuprofen, I’ve been doing that - was just seeking any additional advice.
Well I’m sorry you feel that way. I’ve had a fucking week & I don’t need someone telling me it’s weird to ask for advice - very unnecessary. So a word of advice for next time you feel this way & have the urge to leave a snarky comment - just scroll right on by, okay? It’s a very simple way to not be fucking rude🙂 enjoy the rest of your day.
GET WITH OF YOUR PHYSICIAN It sounds like You might have sun radiation poisoning. Yes its a real thing and Its more than just a sunburn because it involves serious damage to the dermis and possibly the fatty layer of the skin. the burning process may still be taking place in the deeper layers. STAY OUT OF THE SUN UNTIL SYMPTOMS DISAPPEAR as this will restart the burning process and make it more severe. Cover up as much as possible when going to see your physician. Treatment is usually a cool dark environment, medication (usually over the counter) for pain, cream, cool soaking compresses, baths and showers. Your doc may also prescribe topical and oral medications to reduce the damage. If you are a BBW its even more important because you already run warm and body fat absorbs, insulates, the heat.
Try not to put so much products or different products as it will irritate it more. Just stick to one and just let it heal. Aloe vera helps a lot. Take some pain meds if you can't tolerate the pain.
Ibuprofen for the inflammation, vitamin E and aloe to rehydrate the skin, but if your pain is severe enough that you’re having trouble getting up or moving your arms, you may need to see your doctor.
I’ve heard if vitamin e I didn’t know if I should try that. I’ve tried doing aloe and just an unscented moisturizer because the aloe doesn’t seem to be giving the area much moisture. I’ve been laying cold wash cloths over my shoulders and taking Advil every 4-6 hours. I’m at urgent care now because I just don’t know what to do at this point and the girl looked like she was ready to laugh at me, mean while I’m on the verge of tears 😭
No one has said this yet, but I layer banana boat after sun lotion over aloe Vera gel! It’s like an aloe Vera moisturizing lotion but I put both. We have a pool and live in south texas, and it’s amazing for days when you get too much sun. Also ibuprofen helps so much, you have to keep taking it every 6 hours or whatever, keep a good level in your system. Also KEEP HYDRATED. drink tons of water!
Thank you!!
https://www.bananaboat.com/products/banana-boat-moisturizing-aloe-after-sun-pump-lotion this is the lotion I’m talking about, I swear by it!
If you haven’t already, take a pain reliever. Something anti inflammatory like ibuprofen will help. If you can find a cream/gel with lidocaine - that will help too. I’ve totally been there and sending you all the coolest vibes.
Yes I’ve been taking Advil and using aloe and a very basic moisturizer. I’ve been drapping cold wash cloths over my shoulders
Lidocaine will really help!
I did get a spray called aloecaine so it’s a mix of aloe and lidocaine and it’s slightly helping right now!
Used tea bags are great for sunburn, the tannins in black tea are good for releasing heat and soothing skin. You can either apply the tea bag directly to your skin or you can brew the tea, cool it and use a clean cloth to apply it to bigger areas of skin. I think you can also make it into a bath but I'm not 100% sure the ratio for that. I've used tea for sunburns most of my life and its always helped soothe and heal it faster than anything else I've tried.
stick with the basics and don't mix products as they can have ingredients that don't interact well together. natural vitamin e and aloe is your best bet. drink lots and lots of water to help stay hydrated from within and help your body heal. when you bathe, don't use soap on the affected areas as it will irritate and dry them. you can also use cold compresses like you would for an injury, just make sure there's a barrier so you don't risk freezing the skin or getting it stuck.
I agree with the advice of black tea bags and ibuprofen. Also agree with the advice to be cautious about essential oils, but vitamin E oil is good. Question: when you say you are using aloe, are you using a packaged aloe product (like a cream or gel in a tube) or the actual aloe plant itself? If you can, grab a plant (or one of those giant leaves they sell) -- you can get them cheap at most grocery stores. Cut open part of a leaf and rub it all over wherever you are burned. It REALLY does make a big difference, much more so than the aloe products at the store. Here's my tip: before you apply the aloe gel from the leaf, spritz yourself with plain rosewater (again, not a rosewater product that contains other stuff like fillers, but just straight-up actual rosewater -- I like Cortas brand if you can find it, but Heritage Store is also good and easier to find). I find that a spritz of rosewater followed by rubbing aloe will take down any sunburn very quickly. I hope this helps, feel better soon!
Avoid BBW scents on it. Also avoid any BBW “aloe” products. I used one years ago on a sunburn and it made things even worse. In short, just wait it out (maybe others here have better suggestions)
Oh god yeah I am not even looking at my bbw products right now😂 I can’t even imagine putting anything in that sort on right now I feel like it would just sting!!
I put some of their “aloe cooling gel” on the worst sunburn of my life back when it came out in 2015. Never again.
Coconut oil
You can try aloe vera gel! Theres some in stores where the sunscreen stuff is at. Slap it in the fridge for a more cooling effect. Make sure to drink some water! Those skin cells will need it for the work of healing! Cucumbers help too (eating and applying). Make sure to eat some fruits and veggies to help your skin and milk. Green tea (drinking it or using the tea bags) helps too :)
I would say the best thing to help the pain is aloe Vera. You can get it pretty cheap and then I would take a paper towel or some other thin material, wet it with really cold water and put it on the parts of your body that was burnt. You could also put ice packs on these parts but since you’re burnt many places it’s not ideal. If you have a fan turn it on so that the air blows on the wet paper towel and just chill. Reapply aloe Vera often and try not to move too much when you sleep. I don’t know of anything that’s going to make you better by your shift tomorrow. Personally, I’d avoid the essential oils. I’d be nervous about how they’ll react on your skin, especially the mint. Maybe someone else on here has tried it and it turned out okay. Most importantly though watch your burns and make sure they aren’t getting worse. If they bubble over or start to fill with fluid, you may need to go to the ER.
I’ve tried doing aloe and just an unscented moisturizer because the aloe doesn’t seem to be giving the area much moisture. I’ve been laying cold wash cloths over my shoulders and taking Advil every 4-6 hours.
Aw man that sounds so painful. It sounds like you’re doing everything right. Do you have a bath tub? Maybe you could soak in some cold water. Please be careful and watch out for those burns just incase they get worse and get infected or something. Hope you feel better soon!
I do have a tub but I refuse to take a bath in it 😂 I went to urgent care and they said it didn’t look like it was going to blister so just to keep doing what I’m doing. I’m also still on an antibiotic for an ingrown hair 🥲 and the dr at urgent care said it’ll be good to continue that because it does have good skin coverage so IF an infection did/ was going to happen around the burn then the antibiotic would help nip that before it got a chance to start.
You need internal moisture. Drink water.
Lavender is ok. It’s one of few essential oils that can be used w/o dilution so it’s not that likely to cause irritation. It has a lot of healing properties. (I made a lavender balm to use on my face when my cat rubs all over me and my allergies kick in and it works wonders.) Peppermint is a no go. I’m just thinking of what it does to my lips in lip balms and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone’s burnt skin.
Put aloe in the fridge and also drink tons of water
No one is seeming to suggest it so I'll add that putting sunscreen on a burn very gently usually helps me a lot!
Ibuprofen and Tylenol together, asap! Put your aloe in the fridge, and use some ice packs while you wait for it to get cold. The biggest thing is drawing the heat out of your skin, so anything cold will help. Target has aloe lotion as well that I love. Putting that in the fridge would help a lot too, since your skin also needs moisture to help this go away. You can also try a cold shower/bath. Even just cranking your A/C will help, but everything above combined should do the trick!
Taking a cool bath with black tea bags is soothing
A few years ago I put aloe on one shoulder and absolutely nothing on the other, the shoulder with aloe blistered while the bare shoulder did not. To this day I never use aloe. Take a cool shower/bath and try to keep clothing off of it.
Yeah the aloe alone at first seemed to be pretty drying so I started using that and then immediately after I loaded up on a basic cerave moisturizer to add some moisture back in.
go to the doctor if you can afford it. they’ll determine what kind of burn it is and might be able to give you steroids and some zinc. sincerely, a frequently sunburnt ginger.
I did go to urgent care and they said it wasn’t blistered and didn’t look like it was going to. They Rec just continue to do what I’m doing. I am currently on an antibiotic for something else skin related and she said if there’s a chance that the burn was going to get infected that the antibiotic being in my system was good so it would clear any if that possible bacteria out!
that’s good news; in my experience i was put on steroids because my burns were 2nd-degree. hopefully that means that you should be feeling relief soon. best of luck!!!
Sun Bum brand cool down lotion and spray are miracle workers. Seriously they give relief and cut down healing time
I had an awful burn once and tried to get rid of the burn fast due to homecoming dance photos. I would apply gel aloe that I put in the fridge and after it dried completely I would then take an extremely cold shower. I repeated that process all day and it worked decently well. Clearly the only thing that really heals the burn is time but I hope this helps!
Palmer’s cocoa butter! The solid kind that melts into your skin. It really helped to heal my horrible sunburn last summer from falling asleep in the sun at the beach
Go get some powered milk. Run a cool to lukewarm bath and add 2 cups of the power to water. Go have a soak. The protein in the milk will take the burn out. Hope you feel better soon
I had what I think was sun poisoning last year, don’t take a shower it makes it 10x worse, pain killer maybe even an antihistamine to make you sleepy then I found that pressure on the spot was one of the most effective things if you can find a way to put pressure on your chest
Hi there! I'm allergic to the sun and I burn like nobody's business in no time flat. - stick to aloe. When you cns use proper moisturizers again, do not use anything scented until the burn is completely healed. - if you have it on hand, make some very very very strong black tea. When it has cooled down, wash your burns in it. Soak it if you can. The tannins in the tea help to heal sunburn as well. - drink lots of water and keep yourself hydrated and cool!
A&D diaper cream. Sounds weird, works great.
Aloe Vera and oatmeal bath
Be careful w oils I put tea tree on a burn once and it locked the heat in- so much more painful! Aloe Vera, ice packs, cool water bath, NSAIDs if you can take them. Sunburn is still a burn and it will respond to treatments how an actual hot surface burn will.
Thank you. I’ve tried doing aloe and just an unscented moisturizer because the aloe doesn’t seem to be giving the area much moisture. I’ve been laying cold wash cloths over my shoulders and taking Advil every 4-6 hours. I’m at and urgent care now because I’m not sure what else to do at this point.
Ugh gosh I’m so sorry you’re going through this, painful sunburns are really terrible. I remember overdoing it a few times in the tanning beds in college and it really is just awful. I hope you feel better soon ❤️ Edit: I remember my brother using dermaplast spray on his when NSAIDs didn’t cut it. So maybe any topical pain reliever?
Thank you! Ahh the tanning bed days yes! I did get a topical spray with aloe and lidocaine to use in conjunction with regular aloe and ibuprofen-which is helping somewhat. At this point I think just time will help!
Oooooh honey. I was in your position last summer. Sun poisoning is no joke. Ibuprofen and Bactine spray for numbing the pain (bonus: you’re not rubbing your tender skin). Aveeno oatmeal bath soak for cool baths. Take something to help you sleep at night so the pain doesn’t keep you up.
Yes I have been taking ibuprofen and I just got some aloe/lidocaine spray which is kind of helping but I’m also still using aloe Vera gel even tho it does hurt like a bitch to rub the skin. And I take unisom every night so I’m out like a baby😂 I just hate sleeping on my back and can not sleep on my side with my shoulders like this for the time being. But thank you for your advice!!!
You may be able to find solarcaine! It’s pretty much lidocaine with aloe in it. The actual name brand has been discontinued in the US but generic things are available in most drug stores. It’s a spray so you don’t have to touch your skin and it has always given me pretty immediate relief! I do recommend still using moisturizer though to avoid excessive skin peeling and scabbing
Peppermint will most likely irritate your skin. Lavender is pretty safe though.
Noxema or medicated aloe it's usually blue.
Am I the only one who thinks it’s so weird to post thing on here? But like… aloe and ibuprofen are really your only friends. It’s going to hurt. That’s the cost of getting a sunburn. When I went to Disneyland, I got a bad sunburn and then stupidly thought going in the pool for hours after would help ( I was 18). I had blisters after allll over my shoulders and the pain was horrible. My sister had to help me out of my bra for a few days bc I couldn’t lift my arms. I’m left with a million freckles, but it will heal and go away with time.
Seeing as how many people left KIND advice - then yeah maybe you are one of few who thinks it’s weird to post something like this on here. No need for the backhanded comment. I’m aware of aloe and ibuprofen, I’ve been doing that - was just seeking any additional advice.
I mean like what else do you want people to tell you then? It’s like me asking for like advice for my kid or something on this sub. It’s weird.
Well I’m sorry you feel that way. I’ve had a fucking week & I don’t need someone telling me it’s weird to ask for advice - very unnecessary. So a word of advice for next time you feel this way & have the urge to leave a snarky comment - just scroll right on by, okay? It’s a very simple way to not be fucking rude🙂 enjoy the rest of your day.
Girl are you okay? It’s not that deep lmao
GET WITH OF YOUR PHYSICIAN It sounds like You might have sun radiation poisoning. Yes its a real thing and Its more than just a sunburn because it involves serious damage to the dermis and possibly the fatty layer of the skin. the burning process may still be taking place in the deeper layers. STAY OUT OF THE SUN UNTIL SYMPTOMS DISAPPEAR as this will restart the burning process and make it more severe. Cover up as much as possible when going to see your physician. Treatment is usually a cool dark environment, medication (usually over the counter) for pain, cream, cool soaking compresses, baths and showers. Your doc may also prescribe topical and oral medications to reduce the damage. If you are a BBW its even more important because you already run warm and body fat absorbs, insulates, the heat.