Why does sunburn feel hot?

Why does it still feel hot indoors?

The warmth is part of your body's response to injury, rather than sunlight continuing to heat your skin. UV exposure damages DNA in skin cells and sets off an inflammatory response that continues after you leave the sun. Sunburned skin also becomes sensitive to heat and pressure, which explains why clothing or a touch can make it hurt more.23

UV exposure does not require a beach booking, because ordinary daylight has no interest in your holiday plans. Lunch outside, gardening and walking the dog can all lead to sunburn without sun protection.4

How long will the heat and pain last?

Sunburn often takes a few hours to become noticeable and can worsen after you come indoors. Pain is usually worst between 6 and 48 hours after exposure. Mild burns generally settle within a few days to a week; deeper, blistering burns can take weeks. Peeling often starts several days later as damaged cells are removed. On darker skin, redness can be harder to see, so pay attention to warmth, tenderness and swelling rather than colour alone.1345

How to cool and soothe sunburn

1. 1Get out of the sun and protect the burned area from further UV exposure while it heals.
2. 2Take a cool shower or bath, or place clean, cool, wet cloths over the burn to ease discomfort.
3. 3Apply a moisturizing cream to skin that is not blistered. Aloe vera or a water based lotion can also soothe the skin.
4. 4Wear loose cotton clothing, drink water and use an appropriate pain reliever such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen if needed. Follow the medicine's label; do not give aspirin to children.
5. 5Leave blisters intact and let peeling skin come away on its own. Clean blisters gently with mild soap and water, and cover ruptured blisters with a moist, sterile dressing.

Avoid benzocaine or lidocaine products, which can cause allergic reactions and worsen the burn. Avoid petroleum jelly on severe sunburn. Cooling and moisturizing relieve symptoms; they do not undo the UV damage. Hydrocortisone is not a reliably effective sunburn treatment, so do not make it the centre of your care.245

Is hot skin the same as overheating?

Warm skin alone does not tell you your core body temperature. Your body normally cools itself by sweating and opening blood vessels near the skin's surface. Sunburn can also raise body temperature, and severely burned skin struggles to retain moisture, increasing dehydration risk. Extreme tiredness with muscle cramps, nausea or headache after time in the heat can signal heat exhaustion: move somewhere cool and drink water.67

When should you get medical help?

Get medical help promptly for fever with sunburn, severe painful blisters, widespread blistering, severe swelling or extreme pain. Dizziness, rapid breathing, extreme thirst or little to no urine also need urgent attention. Confusion or fainting after heat exposure can signal heatstroke: seek emergency care rather than treating it as ordinary sunburn.457

Protect the skin while it heals

Skin that has peeled can stay especially sensitive to sunlight for several weeks. Sun protection includes clothing and shade as well as sunscreen, so the least photogenic parts of the routine still have a job. Use broad spectrum SPF 30 or higher on exposed skin, reapply every two hours or as the label directs, and reapply after swimming or sweating.25