Medicines and products for sunburn

Sunburn treatment is mostly skin care and time, but a few medicines and products genuinely help - and a few popular ones genuinely hurt.

What helps

• Pain relievers: paracetamol or ibuprofen, taken as directed, ease pain and (ibuprofen) reduce inflammation. Most effective when started early.
• Moisturizers: plain, fragrance-free lotions, aloe vera gel, or calamine on damp skin
• 1% hydrocortisone cream: a mild over-the-counter steroid that can calm severe redness and itching on small, unbroken areas for a few days - not on blisters, not on the face of children, and not for long
• Oral rehydration salts if the burn came with heavy sweating and weakness

Products to avoid

• Sprays or creams ending in "-caine" (benzocaine, lidocaine): they can irritate burned skin and cause allergic reactions
• Petroleum-heavy greases and oils on a fresh burn: they trap heat
• Fragranced lotions and after-sun products with alcohol: stinging and drying
• Butter, toothpaste, and other kitchen pastes: not medicines, and harmful here

When a doctor prescribes more

• Widespread blistering: may need professional wound care and sometimes a short course of stronger treatment
• Infected blisters (pus, spreading redness, fever): prescription antibiotics
• Severe dehydration or heat illness: clinic or hospital fluids

Sunscreen as a "product" note

• Once skin has healed, broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher is the product that prevents the next burn
• On currently burned or peeling skin, keep sun off with clothing and shade rather than relying on sunscreen

A word on fairness creams and tanning reversals

Burned or healing skin should never be treated with bleaching or fairness products - they irritate damaged skin and some contain steroids or mercury.

Ayurvedic view (interpretive): Classical cooling applications like aloe and sandalwood overlap with safe modern choices. The framework is interpretive; on broken or blistered skin, modern wound hygiene leads.

Remember: Paracetamol or ibuprofen for pain, plain moisturizer or aloe for skin, ORS for weakness - and no "-caine" sprays, grease, or bleaching products on burned skin. Blistering over a large area or any infection sign goes to a doctor.