Sunburn care for kids

When does a child need medical help?

Get urgent medical advice for blistered or swollen skin, a very high temperature, shivering, unusual tiredness, dizziness, sickness, headache or muscle cramps after sun exposure. Severe sunburn can occur alongside heat exhaustion or heatstroke. In the UK, ask for an urgent GP appointment or contact NHS 111; call 111 for advice about a child under 5.1

Seek medical help immediately if your child has a fever with sunburn, feels faint, has rapid breathing or a rapid pulse, or has pale, clammy skin. Extreme thirst, no urine or sunken eyes are signs of dehydration that also need immediate attention. Painful eyes that are sensitive to light need medical assessment too.2

How to care for sunburn at home

1. 1Move your child indoors or out of direct sunlight as soon as you notice the burn.
2. 2Use a cool bath, shower or clean, damp towel to ease the heat and pain. Do not let a baby or young child get too cold.
3. 3Gently pat the skin dry. On skin without blisters, apply moisturiser while the skin is still damp.
4. 4For an older child, encourage extra water to help prevent dehydration. Sunburn draws fluid towards the skin and away from the rest of the body.
5. 5Dress your child in loose cotton clothing. Keep burned skin covered from direct sunlight until it has fully healed.

Repeat cool baths or showers for discomfort, and reapply a soothing moisturiser whenever the skin feels uncomfortable. Calamine lotion or a colloidal oatmeal bath can also help relieve discomfort; colloidal oatmeal is finely ground oatmeal used in bath products.3

What can you put on the burn?

An unperfumed moisturiser is an option for easing sunburn. A moisturiser containing aloe vera or soy can help soothe the skin. These products relieve discomfort; they do not undo the damage already caused by the sun.123

• Do not put ice or ice packs directly on sunburned skin.
• Avoid butter, petroleum jelly and other oily products on the burn.
• Avoid products containing benzocaine or lidocaine. These numbing ingredients can cause allergic reactions and make the burn worse.
• Do not scratch, pull off peeling skin or wear tight clothing over the burned area.

Steroid creams are not a reliably effective sunburn treatment: research has found mixed results. For help choosing a treatment or deciding whether your child needs a doctor, ask a pharmacist.14

Can children take pain medicine?

Paracetamol, also called acetaminophen, or ibuprofen can relieve sunburn pain. Follow the medicine leaflet's instructions and ask a pharmacist if you are unsure which medicine is suitable for your child. Do not give aspirin to children.124

What if the skin blisters or peels?

Blisters indicate a more severe burn and need urgent medical advice. Leave intact blisters alone rather than popping them or removing their tops. Blisters help protect the healing skin from infection. Clean blisters gently with mild soap and water; a ruptured blister can be covered with a moist, sterile dressing.134

How long does sunburn take to heal?

Sunburn can take a few hours to show, and its full effect can take 24 hours or longer to appear. Pain can be worst between 6 and 48 hours after exposure, so a burn that looks mild at first can become more uncomfortable later.2

Most sunburn improves within 7 days. Peeling often starts around 4 to 7 days after exposure, while blisters usually take 7 to 10 days to heal. Let peeling skin shed on its own. After peeling, the affected skin can remain sensitive to sunlight for several weeks.14

Look for warmth, tenderness and pain rather than redness alone. On brown or black skin, a colour change can be hard to see. Children of every skin tone can burn, and infants and children are particularly sensitive to the sun's burning effects.12

How to prevent another sunburn

Use shade, protective clothing, a wide brimmed hat and sunglasses with UV protection, which gives sun protection a dress code rather than just a bottle. For exposed skin, choose water resistant sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher and broad spectrum protection, meaning protection against both UVA and UVB rays. Apply it to dry skin 15 minutes before going outdoors. Reapply approximately every two hours outdoors and after swimming or sweating, following the bottle's directions. Remember ears, necks and the tops of feet, which makes sunscreen application an unusually detailed attendance check.5

If you choose a spray, spray until the skin glistens, then rub it in for even coverage. Never spray around the face or mouth, into the wind, or near heat or flames.5

Keep babies younger than 6 months out of direct sun. Use shade and lightweight clothing that covers their arms and legs, plus a wide brimmed hat. An umbrella, canopy or stroller hood can provide shade when none is available, which is a modest brief for outdoor architecture. Watch that your baby does not overheat. Sunscreen alone cannot fully protect a child from the sun.5