Cool, damp cloths; cool showers; and/or cool baths can help They sell cream for treating sunburns and relieving pain, but I don't know how well they work and they're probably just aloe-vera lotions under a different name anyway
No quick fix. Lots of aloe and ibuprofen (be careful with the ibuprofen - some people get a lot of stomach distress from it - only use what it takes to make the pain tolerable). Depending on the degree of burning, it should be manageable in a day or two. If it blisters too much, see a doc. If it gets redder instead of stabilizing, see a doc. ETA: and as @oph said, cool damp towels. Don't rub, just rest them on the worst areas.
drinking lots of water as well as the cool damp cloth is also good. sunburns can cause dehydration and the extra dryness makes it hurt more. try sipping on some cold water over time. unfortunately i'll have to agree it's a "wait it out" sort of deal. when did you take the ibu? it should help a good bit with the swelling and burny feeling once it kicks in.
ibuprofen tablets typically take 30-45 minutes to build a good effect and last about 6 hours. gel caps 15-30 mins and last as long.
Rule of thumb from my mom (a nurse) for spacing out ibuprofen is at least 2 hours per pill - so if you took 2, you have to wait 4 hours before taking more, etc. Also maybe consider alternating the aloe with a really intense moisturizer - coconut oil would probably work, or if you have a nice shea butter-based one. That helps more than just using aloe, in my opinion.
Ibuprofen doesn't work that way. If you take two pills they dissolve and are absorbed at the same time, and processed by your digestive system and kidneys at the same time. They DO NOT last twice as long, but they have additive affects - the effect is increased by taking them at the same time. The main reason for delaying would be the extra problems that it can cause people who have digestive system distress from taking it. It is additive in effect, not duration. There is almost no medicine that is additive in duration unless it overwhelms your digestive system's ability to absorb any more. (Alcohol is additive in duration because it is absorbed at a steady rate regardless of how much you drink so if you drink a lot then some is just hanging around your system waiting to be absorbed and add to the effect that your body is already dealing with.)
Actually - I overstated my case. There are meds that add both duration and effect - such as narcotics. My valium, for example, is good for about 12 hours with nice mood control at the prescribed dose. Doubling the dose makes me drowsy and groggy and keeps me sedate a few hours longer.
Ooh - neat. I did find some studies that show while 200mg (standard over-the-counter pill size in the US) has an effectiveness of 4-6 hours, increasing to 400mg (2 pills) makes it a more consistent 6 hours. Beyond 400mg seems to be more useful for more pain but not longer effectiveness.
ok, if you have access to a store, there's a spray called Solarcaine that has lidocaine in it which is literally amazing. it's specifically For sunburn and bites. but yeah, a lot of it is a waiting game. stay hydrated, keep your skin hydrated.
I've been told vinegar helps. I googled to see what the internet says and found this site and this site, which have handy instructions. I saw a page that said to always dilute vinegar (especially apple cider vinegar, because they're acidic and can cause burns) or try using a milk compress; a page that suggested grated potato, buttermilk, or peppermint as sunburn relievers. Another page recommended following up on the vinegar with coconut oil.
If your skin is still hot to the touch, cool shower until you start feeling cold, dry off carefully, wait half an hour, and then repeat as needed while your skin is still warm. Sunburn is radiation burns, but damage continues to worsen until you actually manage to cool off. You probably also have minor heat exhaustion, so treat for that. Plenty of cool but not iced drinks. Tomorrow will probably be worse, but if they're all first degree/surface burns rather than second degree/partial thickness burns (there will be blistering), the day after will be better. If you have blisters coming up tomorrow and it's an option, you probably want to see a doctor, as you'll want some hardcore painkillers and possibly some kind of prescription cream. Idk, as the only time I had more than 3% of my body covered in second degree sunburn I was in Thailand, and so didn't go to a doctor. Benadryl can help with some of the itching. Sunburn really sucks, and is definitely not trivial, and I hope you feel better soon.
