The most important therapy for burns and thus also for sunburn is early and generous cooling. Cooling reduces swelling and warming, pain is reduced and inflammation of the skin is contained. A good possibility is cooling with moist compresses, for this purpose tap water can be used without hesitation.
Wearing wet T-shirts or thin cotton pants for upper body or leg burns is also a good way of cooling, especially for children. One should moisten the compresses or clothing repeatedly and cool the sunburn for several hours. Repeated application of after-sun lotions is useful, as they provide the skin with moisture and lipids at the same time and thus improve the skin barrier.
Plant gel from the leaves of the aloe vera also cools the skin and helps it to regenerate. For severe pain, painkillers such as diclofenac (Voltaren) or ibuprofen are recommended, as they are both anti-inflammatory and decongestant. Cooling with ice or cool packs from the freezer is not recommended, as the extreme cold can cause further damage to the skin, even frostbite. Household remedies such as envelopes with yoghurt or quark are also not recommended, as the bacteria and fungi naturally contained in them can infect the injured skin.
