Sunburn

If you have the complexion of boiled lobster and you're in significant pain, take aspirin, ibuprofen, or some other over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drug to reduce the swelling and relieve the pain. And of course, do what you'd do for any other type of burn: cool it with water. You may also want to use one of the sunburn sprays, sold in the pharmacy, that contain numbing ingredients. Finally, make sure to learn your lesson and remember to wear sunscreen next time you venture out into the sun.

Dip In

• For immediate relief, soak the sunburned areas in cold water (but not iced water) or with cold compresses for 15 minutes. The cold reduces swelling and wicks away heat from your skin.
• If you're burned all over, take a soak in a cool bath to which you've added oatmeal. You can either buy a colloidal oatmeal product such as Aveeno or simply grind up a cup of oatmeal in a food processor and add it to your bath

Pantry Painkillers

• For extra-painful spots of sunburn, rub the area gently with sliced cucumber or potato. They contain compounds that cool the burn and help reduce swelling.
• Vinegar contains acetic acid-one of the components of aspirin. It can help ease sunburn pain, itching, and inflammation. Soak a few sheets of paper towels in white vinegar, and apply them to the burned areas. Leave them on until the towels are dry. Repeat as needed.
• If the sunburn itches, take a cool bath, but add 2 cups of vinegar to the bathwater before you get in.

The Power of Prevention

• Always slather your skin with a sunscreen that contains a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher, at least 30 minutes before going outdoors. Insist that your loved ones do the same.
• Between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., limit your exposure to the sun. This is when the sun's rays are at their strongest.
• If you burn easily or have been diagnosed with skin cancer in the past, take no chances: cover up in the sun. That means long trousers, long sleeves, a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses.

Plant remedies

• Brew up a pot of green tea and let it cool. Soak a clean cloth in the tea, and use it as a compress. The tea contains ingredients that help protect the skin from ultraviolet radiation damage and reduce inflammation.
• Use the cooling, aromatic qualities of peppermint to quell the scorch of a sunburn. Either make peppermint tea or mix two drops of peppermint oil with a cup of lukewarm water. Chill the concoction and gently bathe the burned area.
• Apply a light coating of pure aloe vera to the painful skin, using either a fresh piece from the plant or in the gel form you can buy at the pharmacy. If you buy the gel, make sure it's 100% pure aloe vera.
• Try applying an oil or ointment of St. John's wort as a burn balm: the herb has antiseptic and painkilling properties, and is thought to help heal skin wounds. If you're taking the herb internally, however, stay out of the sun: It makes skin more sensitive to damaging rays.

When to consult a doctor

Most sunburns are first-degree burns. The pain will ease in one to four days. But call the doctor if your sunburned skin starts to blister, you run a fever or develop chills or nausea, or if the pain becomes unbearable.