Red, hot and regretful? A summer sunburn survival guide for Arizonans

Michael Ravelo, MD

Submitted photo/Loren Anderson

The damage is real. Even if the burn goes away in a few days, your skin remembers it. Repeated sunburns increase your risk of skin cancer, including melanoma.”

If you’ve come home from a day at the lake or lounging by the pool looking more like a lobster than a beach bum, you’re not alone.

As an urgent care physician, I see it all summer long — patients rolling in red, sore and surprised by how fast the Arizona sun did its damage. Sunburns are one of the top reasons people end up in urgent care this time of year, especially after holiday weekends or long days outside.

I’m not here to scold. I’ve missed a sunscreen reapplication or two myself. But I am here to advise how to keep sunburn from turning into something more serious, like sun poisoning or an infection.

The good news? With a few simple steps, you can reduce pain, speed up healing and get back to enjoying the summer — and avoid turning a painful burn into something worse.

What is a sunburn, really?

A sunburn happens when your skin is exposed to ultraviolet radiation from the sun or a tanning bed — but that’s a whole other conversation. Too much UV light damages the DNA in your skin cells, causing inflammation. Your body responds by sending extra blood to the area, which is why your skin turns red and feels hot.

The damage is real. Even if the burn goes away in a few days, your skin remembers it. Repeated sunburns increase your risk of skin cancer, including melanoma. But let’s focus on what you can do right now to treat a burn and start healing.

Step 1: Get out of the sun

This might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how often people stay out in the sun after they’re already burned. Once you notice the pink creeping in, seek shade or head indoors. Every extra minute in the sun adds to the damage.

Step 2: Cool down — gently

To calm the burn, apply a cool, damp cloth or take a short, lukewarm (not cold) bath or shower. Avoid harsh soaps and scrubbing — your skin is already irritated. After you get out of the bath, gently pat yourself dry and leave a little moisture on your skin to help with the next step.

Step 3: Moisturize early and often

Within minutes of drying off, apply a soothing moisturizer. Aloe vera is a great choice — just make sure it’s 100% pure aloe without alcohol, fragrance or color additives, which can make things worse. You can also use a gentle lotion with ceramides or hyaluronic acid to help your skin retain moisture and heal faster.

Pro tip: Store your aloe or lotion in the fridge for extra relief.

Step 4: Ease the pain and swelling

Over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen or acetaminophen can help reduce inflammation and discomfort. Ibuprofen, like Advil or Motrin, is especially helpful because it also addresses swelling.

You can also apply over-the-counter 1% hydrocortisone cream to small areas for a day or two to help calm the redness. Avoid “-caine” products like benzocaine, which can irritate the skin and even cause allergic reactions in some people.

Step 5: Hydrate like it’s your job

Sunburn pulls fluid to the skin surface and away from the rest of your body, which can lead to dehydration. Drink plenty of water over the next few days, even if you don’t feel especially thirsty. Your body needs the extra fluids to recover.

Step 6: Don’t pop or peel

If your skin starts to blister, that means you’ve got a second-degree burn. As tempting as it is, don’t pop the blisters or peel the skin. Blisters protect the underlying tissue and help prevent infection. If they break on their own, wash the area gently and cover it with a clean, non-stick bandage.

When to call a doctor

Most sunburns heal on their own with home care, but there are a few red flags to watch for.

Seek medical attention if:

• You have large blisters covering a significant area of your body.
• You develop chills, fever, headache or confusion — these could be signs of heatstroke or sun poisoning.
• The skin shows signs of infection (increased redness, pus, or swelling).
• You’re in severe pain that isn’t improving with over-the-counter medicine.

Don’t wait — especially with children or older adults, whose skin is thinner and more sensitive to sun damage.

Better yet: Prevent the next burn

If you’re reading this with a painful sunburn, prevention might feel a little too late. But once you’ve been through it, you’ll understand why sunscreen is your best friend.

Here’s a quick refresher for the next time you’re out in the sun:

• Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher that don’t contain oxybenzone due to potential harmful effects
• Apply it 15 to 30 minutes before sun exposure — and don’t skimp!
• Reapply every two hours, and more often if you’re swimming or sweating.
• Don’t forget the easy-to-miss spots: ears, tops of feet, back of neck and scalp (especially if you have thinning hair).

And remember — clouds don’t block UV rays. You can burn even on an overcast day.

The bottom line

A sunburn might not seem like a big deal, but it’s your skin’s way of saying, “Help!” Treat it kindly, give it time to heal and protect it better next time. Your skin, your comfort and your long-term health will thank you.

Editors note: Michael Ravelo, MD is a board-certified family medicine physician and medical director for HonorHealth Medical Group – Urgent Care, where he oversees all 25 HonorHealth Urgent Care locations across the Valley. Please send your comments to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.