What You Should & Shouldn’t Do to Itchy Sunburn
TL;DR: Itchy sunburn has a way of taking over your entire day. The best thing you can do is use a good quality anti-itch lotion, keep it comfortable, and avoid the things that make the itching spiral out of control.
Most people never really appreciate how distracting itchy sunburn can be until they’ve got it. One minute their skin just feels a little warm after being outside, and the next they’re lying awake at 2am trying not to claw at your shoulders or chest like a maniac. It can be downright miserable in a very specific way.
The worst part is that it’s so easy to make it worse without realizing you’re doing it. There are so many unconscious habits we all do completely obliviously, which can make your already burned skin even more uncomfortable.
The good news is that there are things that genuinely help, and a few things you’re much better off avoiding while your skin settles down. Come with us now as we look at the important dos and don’ts you really need to know when you get burned by the sun.
What You Should Do to Itchy Sunburn
Itchy sunburn can be one of those things that completely takes over your attention once it starts. Thankfully, a few simple things can make your skin feel far more manageable while it settles down. Let’s take a look at them.
Cool Your Skin Down Gently
When your skin feels hot and itchy, cooling things down is naturally going to a) feel nice and b) help to relieve the irritation. Cool showers, damp washcloths, sitting near a fan, or staying out of direct heat can all help calm things a bit without making your skin feel shocked.
What you want to avoid is going from one extreme to the other. Freezing cold water or ice directly on sunburn can end up feeling too harsh on skin that already feels uncomfortable enough.
Use Products Designed to Calm Itching
Many sun lovers will automatically reach for random heavy creams or thick oils when sunburn starts itching, but lighter soothing products tend to work much better. Using something specifically designed to calm itchy skin can help stop that constant urge to scratch every five minutes.
This is where products containing numbing agents like pramoxine hydrochloride can be very effective. It can be a real lifesaver when the itching starts keeping you awake at night. The cooling sensation alone can make everything feel manageable and stop you from climbing the walls.
Wear Clothes That Don’t Rub Against It
Sunburn somehow always seems to show up exactly where your clothes meet your skin, right? We’re talking about waistbands, tight sleeves and even those T-shirt seams can leave you wriggling around in discomfort. So, if and when you’re unfortunate enough to get burned, wear something loose, if you can.
Loose, soft clothing usually feels much easier to tolerate while your skin recovers. Sometimes changing into an oversized cotton t-shirt (without the seams) is enough to stop your skin feeling constantly aggravated.
Keep Your Hands Off It
This sounds obvious until you actually get sunburn. Most people do not consciously decide to scratch. They suddenly realize they’ve been rubbing at their shoulders without thinking about it.
The more you scratch, the harder it usually becomes to stop focusing on the itching afterwards. Letting your skin settle without constantly touching it gives it a far better chance of calming down properly.
What You Shouldn’t Do to Itchy Sunburn
If and when your skin gets red and angry because of the sun, there are also some things you should actively avoid doing. Again, they might sound obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many people go ahead and do them anyway.
Don’t Take Super Hot Showers
Hot water and sunburn are an awful combination. Even if the shower feels good initially, your skin will almost certainly feel much itchier once you get out and dry yourself – even if you do it particularly carefully.
That post-shower flare-up where your shoulders suddenly feel like they’re buzzing? Usually not a coincidence – rather, it’s a direct result of the shower you just took.
Don’t Smother It in Thick Heavy Products
When skin feels dry and tight, the temptation is to throw the thickest cream you can find at it. Sometimes that works. Other times it just leaves your skin feeling hot, sticky and even more aware of the sunburn underneath.
Lighter soothing products – like the numbing one we mentioned earlier – often feel far more comfortable when your skin feels overheated and sensitive.
Don’t Go Straight Back Out Into Strong Sun
Did you know that some people think it’s fine to go back outside into the sun with sunburn? We’ve all met someone who says “It’s fine, I’ll just sit outside for another hour.” Fresh sunburn combined with even more sun exposure rarely ends well. Even a short amount of extra heat can make already-angry skin feel noticeably worse later on.
Don’t Peel Skin Off Yourself
This is something you’ll not usually have to face for the first few days after sunburn, but when you start peeling, you should absolutely avoid picking and peeling the dead skin away. You catch a loose edge and suddenly you’re standing there, damaging your skin unnecessarily.
Usually, the skin underneath is nowhere near ready for that yet. Leaving it alone is nearly always the better move, even if it sounds counterintuitive.
Giving Your Itchy Skin a Chance to Recover After Sunburn
Itchy sunburn can go from mildly annoying to completely distracting surprisingly quickly, especially once it starts to affect your sleep and daytime focus. Products that contain numbing agents like pramoxine hydrochloride can take all the urgency away, helping you to forget about things and get on with your day. When you’re in that kind of situation, continued calmness is a very favorable outcome.