Sunburn

Symptoms of sunburn

If you have sunburn, your skin may:

feel hot to touch
feel sore or painful
flake or peel - this usually happens a few days after you get sunburn

Your skin may also blister if your sunburn is severe.

If you have white skin, your skin will usually be red or pink. If you have black or brown skin, you may not notice a change in the colour of your skin.

How to ease sunburn yourself

There are things you can do to help ease symptoms of sunburn.

Do

get out of the sun as soon as possible
cool your skin with a cool shower, bath or damp towel (take care not to let a baby or young child get too cold)
apply aftersun cream or spray, or an unperfumed moisturiser
avoid alcohol and drink plenty of water to cool down and prevent dehydration
take painkillers, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen for any pain - follow the instructions in the leaflet
cover sunburnt skin from direct sunlight until skin has fully healed

Don't

do not use petroleum jelly on sunburnt skin
do not put ice or ice packs on sunburnt skin
do not pop any blisters
do not scratch or try to remove peeling skin
do not wear tight-fitting clothes over sunburnt skin

A pharmacist can help with sunburn

You can ask a pharmacist:

about the best sunburn treatments
if you need to see a GP

Find a pharmacy

Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if:

You've been out in the sun and:

your skin is blistered or swollen
your temperature is very high, or you feel hot, cold or shivery
you feel very tired, dizzy or sick
you have a headache
you have muscle cramps
your baby or young child has sunburn

Severe sunburn can lead to heat exhaustion and heatstroke, which can be very serious.

You can call 111 or get help from 111 online. Call 111 if you need advice for a child under 5 years old.

Skin cancer risk

Getting sunburnt can increase your risk of skin cancer.

Sexual Health Advice

Throughout this series we have help and advice on staying healthy, dealing with Sexually Transmitted Infections, the risks of each type of the most popular gay sex and what to do if the sex you have is not consentual. The topics covered in this series include:

	This item was in brought to you association with NHS website. Follow the links above for more information and don't forget to check out OutUK's A to Z of Gay Health which features items on everything from relationships, sexual health, mental and physical conditions and how to stay fit. This week our topic is: L - Lung Cancer.
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