What to do after you’ve gotten a sunburn?

Ideally, the best thing to do is try to avoid sunburn from the outset by staying out of the sun during the hottest hours of the day, and applying an SPF appropriate to your skin type and body area (bonus points if you also use a lip balm with SPF, as lips are also very sensitive!) If you still manage to get burnt, here are the best ways to treat sunburn:

type=squiggle color=blue1. Identify your type of sunburn: Levels of sunburn can vary from mild redness to blistering (ouch!), and even cause high fever and dizziness Remember that the more severe a burn is, the more likely you are to need medical attention.

type=squiggle color=blue2. Stop tanning: This seems obvious, but it is important that you hide the burnt area from the sun for a couple of days, as the longer you expose the skin, the worse the burn will be.

type=squiggle color=blue3. Apply cold water, but not ice!: For minor burns, you should apply cold water to cool and soothe skin, but not directly from the tap. Instead use a soaked towel or have a cold bath to be more gentle on the damaged skin. This will take the sting out of your sunburn. Top tip: Ice can actually make the burn worse, so avoid at all costs!

type=squiggle color=blue4. Moisturise, moisturise, moisturise: We cannot stress this enough! After a sunburn, your skin needs water to help it replenish and refresh. Be careful to only apply specific aftersun lotions and creams made for treating sunburn. The active ingredients in aftersun will help your body repair itself.
Home remedy: If you don't have sun blisters, you can apply aloe vera on the area to soothe the itching and ease the pain.

type=squiggle color=blue5. AVOID lotions containing alcohol!: This is very important as they may irritate the area further and make the situation worse.

type=squiggle color=blue6. Wear loose-fitting clothes (cotton if possible): These won’t rub or aggravate the affected area.

type=squiggle color=blue7. Drink plenty of water! We promise that you don’t want to have sunburn and heatstroke at the same time. One is enough damage on its own!

Follow these tips and your skin will be as good as new in no time.