Best OTC Treatments for Sunburns - Get Relief Over-The-Counter!

So how many of you have suffered through a sunburn or two or several?! During the summer months when the UV is up, many people will become reddened from the sun’s rays and seek treatment for the burn and pain.

Sunburns are classified as mild, moderate, or severe. The severity depends on several factors including skin complexion of a person (fair-skinned complexion has the highest risk of burning) and the time of day and duration of exposure to the sun. Also, many people don’t realize that even certain medications or skin care lotions can make an individual more susceptible to sunburn.

The first signs of a sunburn may not appear for up to 4 hours after exposure and may peak between 12 and 24 hours following exposure. Mild and moderate sunburn has symptoms that can include pink to very red skin, tenderness, pain, and later peeling of skin. Severe sunburns will cause the skin to blister and sometimes a fever can develop, as well as chills, blacking-out, and weakness. In this case, the individual should always seek attention from a physician for further evaluation.

Treating a sunburn involves pain relief, healing, and overall skin protection to minimize skin irritation and to prevent complications such as infections. Mild sunburns are usually treated with the use of cool cloths or compresses to affected areas. Taking cool showers and applying topical agents such as aloe vera helps as well. Various skin protectants or topical hydrocortisone can also be applied to the affected areas. However, topical hydrocortisone should never be applied to an area of open blisters. Sometimes using oral OTC analgesics may help some individuals. Aleve or other aspirins should be taken soon after getting out of the sun to prevent headaches and fevers from the sun exposure.