Time and plenty of fluids . No alcohol .
You have the same kind of burn as if you had been roasted over a bar-be-que .
Ouch !
Been there too .
When the blisters form -- do not pick at them and open them .
It is tempting to do so but these are your natural bandages .
When you start peeling - you are healing .

Asprin helps to take away the pain, as simple as that sounds. And aloe juice, if you can find the plant growing some where or if you happen to have it. I grow it just to relive burns from the stove. It also helps with radiation burns cancer victims get. Hope this helps some and I am sorry for you pain. :o)

Cool baths, as much cold water as you can stand, and when the pain gets bad, plenty of alcohol (about the worst thing you can do for your body, but great salve for the mind.)

The inside of an aloe plant works miracles. Go buy one if you don't have one and keep it on hand for any type of burn or cut or even insect bites. It's best if used immediately but never can hurt to rub some of that natural goodness on your skin just for the cool relief it will bring anytime.

So sorry you are both hurting so badly... it is not fun to be sunburned EVER. (You might need to see a doctor if it is sun poisoning).
Meems

If you can find it, Americain is one of the best topical pain relievers and doesn't sting like Solarcain. And of course, aloe. If you don't find it in a bottle, split the leaves of the plant and scrape the gel/juice into a clean glass jar. Using the leaf as the applicator is inviting painful scrapes from the spines. You have enough pain without that! TAKE YOUR TEMPS SEE DR IF YOU HAVE A FEVER.

Here is a remedy I found in a womens magazine-

"Pour milk and ice in a bowl, dip a washcloth in the liquid and use to pat skin for 10 minutes; rinse. In addition to the instant cooling sensation, the milks lactic acid will penetrate pores and reduce inflammation while its protiens and fats hydrate skin to prevent peeling."

Good Luck!

That reminds me of when I got chemical burns from Tabasco (don't ask!) Everything I read online said "dairy" so I finally figured out that sour cream stays on the skin. It was cooling to the touch and felt wonderful. Had to apply it twice before I could relax and stop crying. But I thought it worked because the dairy draws out the capsacin (sp?) which doesn't apply to sunburn.

Diaper rash creams worked for me... (Desitin or similar)
Hope you recover soon....

I've used Seabreeze before and it really helped with the pain of the burn.
I'm glad to know of sour cream and milk helping. Never heard that before.

Foil ointment, the old standby for kitchen burns, works wonders . It smells even worse than aloe but if it works that won't matter!

By the way, certain medications can make you more susceptible to sunburn so this may not be entirely your fault. No need to hurt and feel guilty at the same time. :0) Good luck.

Fresh aloe gel from the plant - not from a bottle or tube - & as soon as it dries, apply more - that's always been the best remedy for me.

I have to agree with you, carolb. Bottled aloe would not be my first choice. We've used fresh aloe on a number of severe burns, not all were sunburn. cora

Oh I can sympathize with you !! If you have chills or nausea put in a call to your Dr. I have used Ibuprofin and a tea bath. Ok I know it sounds weird but I've had luck with it . Take a few black tea bags 4 or so fill tub with warm water let the tea steep in the tub for a few minutes then get in tub. I think it has to do with the tanic acid.. Then loose cotton clothing.

Im with Cora on this one... ALOE works wonders, just slice it open and rub it on.

Where are you located? I have an aloe plant.

Well Thank You All!!! I've tried a few different things
and am starting to get just a little better than I've been,
not comfortable yet by ant means...but seeing signs of possible improvement. Let's see, going to try some tea soaked cool cloths soon (tea is soaking in fridge) and I think tomorrow we'll try the milk. Oh, and a really big
'thanks to "sents_from_haeven", she sent a really informative e-mail describing many many different sun
Burn remedies(!!) we like the soaking in a warn to hot
tub with a cup of bakimg soda(really seemed to help) and also forgot we had a Aloe in the back garden too!!
(Aloe feel great!) well, much thanks, Happy Gardening,
"Burnt" Terry.

And once the pain subsides, the itching begins....

I'm sympathetic. Drink lots of water, slather on lots of aloe creams, feel bad for each other and wait for it to get better.

Drink lots of water. I can't stress that enough. All of those surface capilaries are enflamed, and your body is trying to get extra fluid and nutrients to your skin to heal it. You can loose a lot of fluid this way(You loose the fluid from your skin) and it is easier to dehydrate yourself. Drinking lots of water will also flush out the toxins out of your body released from the damaged skin cells. I do not recommend aspirin for pain. Aspirin is a blood thinner(keeps blood cells from sticking together to lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other nasty blood clots). It is an NSAID and does provide some pain releif, but there are other NSAIDS(Non-steroidal-anti-inflamatory) out there that would work just as good. Fresh aloe, advil, and loose clothes would be my choice. If you run a fever, or start getting dizzy call your primary MD or go to the ER. There are some over the counter sunburn treatments with lidocaine in it to numb the skin. Some people are allergic to lidocaine, so be careful and consult your doctor or pharmacist before using that product. I have heard about the teabag thing- good luck and stay hydrated!

I have tried most of the above mentioned remedies, and I can say that without a doubt, for me, it is the gel of a fresh aloe plant. Nothing else even comes close. Luckily, I have a 2-3 foot high specimen in the yard that provides more than enough for these occasions.

Ironically, this happened to me and my ex-DH years ago. We went to the beach on a windy day and got nasty, nasty wind burns. His burn was so bad that he missed work for a week and was on steriods!

My legs looked like bubble wrap after a few days! Oh, the blisters!

The doctor told us to use cool compresses made with water and vinegar (no joke). Our house smelled like a pickle plant after a few days, but they did work. Just plain old dish towels dipped in bowls with half water/half vinegar, drain towels, and lay on burned areas. Repeat as necessary.

Word to the wise: mix some Neosporin in with all those creams and gels and aloe juices you're trying. Your skin is ultra-vulnerable to infection right now, and that will get worse before it gets better (when the blisters start popping and you start scratching and abrading the new fragile skin underneath)
Those MRSA and staph infections out there are absolutely NOT to be underestimated.

That's great advice from Karen about the Neosporin. At the first sign of infection, see your doctor! And if you are going to use the aloe plant, you should have a tetanus shot. The bacteria causing tetanus resides in the soil.

Okay, late to the party, been a lurker for way too long!

All good suggestions. But to add:
Aloe,the best thing out there, no doubt, but in between or if you don't have enough of the fresh plant use a lotion with aloe and lidacaine. Do watch for any allergic reaction. It will sooth the pain and add hydration to the skin.

Hydration is the key! Both internal and topical!
Drink Drink Drink
Lots of water inside and out. Feed the skin with the lotions when not fresh aloe. Dried out skin is just as painful and the cracks are bacteria traps waiting to happen.

Everyone and I MEAN EVERYONE! Needs Foille Ointment in their medicine chest. I had a severe grease burn once and only I can make out where the outline of what would've been a nasty scar would be. It may actually burn at first when you put it on, be strong, it is the vaseline base reflecting the heat of the burn. Then it will cool and it will speed the healing.

Be careful of Triple antibiotics like Neosporin. They contain nickel. If you can't wear cheap earrings you may also have a reaction to this ointment. Look for Bacitracin instead, just as effective. Or Bactroban (anti MRSA/ORSA) but you need a script for that one.

I feel your pain! I have Polish/English/Irish/Scottish in my heritage and can burn from a long stare! LOL

And BTW, while home and slathering on the goop, wear very oversize white cotton T's inside out. Don't even risk those seams rubbing (same goes for the legs, pj's or lounge pants but inside out).
Hope you are better, and soon!
Val

Vinegar always helped get the sting out. Noxzema helped to soothe. Solarcain always helped too, for a little bit. I would reapply every half hour when the sting got too bad. Aloe never seemed to do much for me.
Get well soon.

Tropicalfreak

I would think that with a burn this bad, Silvadene cream from the doctor would be the way to go. Why don't they sell that stuff over the counter? It is like a miracle cream when you get a burn.

Please post and let us know which of these suggestions were most effective.

Thanks,
Joyce

For mild sunburn, cool compresses with equal parts of milk and water may suffice. You may also use cold compresses with Burow solution. You can buy this at a drugstore. Dissolve 1 packet in 1 pint of water. Soak gauze or a soft clean cloth in it. Gently wring out the cloth and apply to the sunburned area for 15-20 minutes. Change or refresh the cloth and solution every 2-3 hours.
Avoid lotions that contain topical anesthetic medications because you can become sensitized and then allergic to that medicine.

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