Sunburn! Need advice asap!

Hello,

So my boyfriend and I went to the beach on Sunday with all his siblings and we all got burnt. We were only on the beach for and hour  out of the six hours we were there.

My boyfriend and his older brother have burns the worst, there whole upper bodies are red and very sore. My upper arms are sore and it is very very hard to sleep.

We have tried Aloe Vera, vinegar, ice cubes, Solarcaine and even cold showers and none of it is working at all. This is the first day and the burns feel worse now than they did before.

We need advice asap... oh and we are out of money from trying to find something to help. So home remedies would be good.

[Angebelle]

You'll have to use a combination of things for a sunburn that bad.  For starters, take Advil or Tylenol to help with swelling and pain.  After a shower, pat dry and apply vinegar with a clean spray bottle on the sunburned skin.  Let it air dry.  Then apply aloe, let it air dry, then solarcaine.  Take another Advil or Tylenol. It may take a over a week for the skin to heal, but the burnt color may last much longer.  Hope you guys find relief soon!!  

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Sunburn results when the amount of exposure to the sun or other ultraviolet light source exceeds the ability of the body's protective pigment, melanin, to protect the skin.

Apply cool compresses on the area and take bath with cool (not very cold) water. Do not scrub your skin or shave your skin and use a soft towel and gently pat your skin dry. Also use a sunburn Over-The-Counter remedy containing aloe vera and a light moisturizer or a dusting powder to relieve chafing. You can apply silver sulfadiazine (1% cream) on the skin except face and see if it helps. Over the counter pain relief medication such a ibuprofen or acetaminophen can also be taken. Wash the face with cold water only without apply any soaps or creams. If the symptoms don’t subside then you should consult your physician as soon as possible.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.