How to treat sunburn: 8 genius and instant hacks for treating your frazzled skin

This British weather is a real tease, isn’t it? After what feels like the soggiest May on record, we finally got some glorious sunny weather this weekend – and we’re not complaining. Plus, it’s only going to get hotter over the next few days (before we’re kept on our toes with downpours at the tail end of the week).

If you spent too long sunbathing at your local beer garden watching the Euros or fell asleep in your sun-drenched garden and you forgot to slap on some trusty SPF, chances are you’re suffering with a bout of sunburn.

Don’t worry, we’re not here to scold you, your skin has had enough of that and now you’ll never forget sun cream again (RIGHT?!). Sunburn is not only seriously painful for the days after exposure, but it can cause long-term skin damage, premature skin ageing and even increase your risk of skin cancer, so it’s always a good idea to wear a broad spectrum sun screen. In fact, dermatologists advise us to wear SPF 50 on our face every single day – yes, even in the winter – to prevent all this.

“Sunburn is skin damage caused by Ultraviolet rays, both Ultraviolet A and Ultraviolet B. UVB rays cause redness and sunburn as well as skin cancer while UVA rays can also cause cancer as well as ageing of the skin,” says skin cancer expert Dr Paul Banwell.

Dr Bawell adds: “Sunburn is an inflammatory reaction to the UV radiation damage to the skin’s outermost layers. UVB rays can lead to sunburn and UVA rays can travel more deeply into the skin and both affect your skin’s health.”

Unfortunately, we don’t have a magic spell to reverse what’s already happened, but there are a number of ways to soothe and nourish your damaged skin, so we’ve grilled the experts for seven failsafe solutions. Pull up a spot in the shade and listen in…

HOW TO TREAT A SUNBURN

Step 1: Reduce inflammation

In the initial hours after you have a burn, your body is trying to respond to that external trauma by increasing blood flow to that area, which is why it goes very red.

With increased blood flow comes an increase of inflammation in that area, so you may want to take an aspirin or ibuprofen to ease inflammation and reduce pain.

STEP 2: Cool down

At the first signs of too much sun, Trilogy’s In-House Skin Expert, Corinne Morley, recommends we should “head for the shade, grab a glass of iced water and apply a cool compress to effected areas for immediate relief.”

Don’t have a cool compress? Slather the area in cold plain yoghurt; the probiotics will help restore your natural skin barrier while soothing the skin.

STEP 3: Avoid actives

Sun damage will make your skin extra sensitive, so make sure you take a look at your current skincare routine and remove any actives or acids. And defintiely don’t use any physical or chemical exfoliants for a few days.