How Long Does a Sunburn Last?

When it comes to skin health, prevention is key, and sunscreen is your first line of defense against sun damage. But sometimes it happens to even the most SPF-vigilant among us: the dreaded sunburn. 

If you’re currently experiencing a sunburn and need to know everything from how long a sunburn lasts to finding effective remedies to alleviate pain and improve healing, this guide can help you with tips for managing and preventing sunburn. Additionally, it's important to understand the risks associated with sun exposure, including skin cancer.

UV radiation from the sun is a major factor in skin damage and can lead to serious health issues over time. Practicing sun protection measures can significantly reduce your risk and keep your skin healthy. Here’s what you need to know about the duration of a sunburn, the importance of UV protection, and how to safeguard yourself from potential long-term damage.

Introduction to Sunburn

Before we get into how to take care of a sunburn, let’s discuss what a sunburn is and why it happens. 

In the simplest form, a sunburn is damage to your skin caused by UV rays from the sun. The symptoms that follow your burn are the body’s response to the damage as it works to repair your damaged skin.

Understanding Sunburn Mechanisms

Much like your skin tanning in the sun, a sunburn is your body reacting to damage from the sun’s rays. When exposed to ultraviolet rays, your body responds by creating melanin in your skin cells. How much melanin you produce is based on your genetics. If you have lighter skin, you generally produce less protective melanin, and when you overexpose your skin to UV rays it damages the DNA of your skin, resulting in sunburn. 

Though not everyone burns easily, every skin tone is susceptible to skin damage from the sun and its UV rays. Whether you’re more likely to tan or burn, both skin responses are harmful—and can happen on both sunny and cloudy days.

Stages and Duration of Sunburn

If you’ve ever had a sunburn, you know that one of the first things you think is, “How long does sunburn last?” Don’t worry, the discomfort won’t last forever! But to get the answer to this timely question, you first need to determine the severity of your burn.

A mild sunburn is typically marked by redness and mild pain, lasting from three to five days. A moderate sunburn is more painful, bringing increased pain, swelling, and skin that feels hot to the touch. These burns usually take about a week fully to heal. Finally, severe sunburn can produce sunburn blisters and very red skin, and may require a visit to a doctor. These more severe burns can take up to two weeks to recover.

Initial Reaction

Immediately after UV light exposure, you may notice some immediate sunburn symptoms, including redness, which can appear around two to six hours after sun exposure. If your burn isn’t severe, your skin will reach peak redness around a day post-sun, then begin to subside after a couple of days.

Peeling and Healing

After your sunburn’s redness subsides, you’ll often find that your skin begins to peel. Peeling can begin as flaking around three days after your burn starts and can last several days. The peeling stage may last several days or until your skin is fully healed. If your sunburn is mild to moderate, peeling will resolve in about a week, but smaller areas may persist for several weeks.

Tip: Make sure you drink a lot of water to encourage healing and never peel or pick at your skin.

Severe Sunburn

Severe sunburns are marked by swelling, blisters, and pain. Sunburn blisters may start anywhere from 6 to 24 hours after exposure and may last for up to a week.

Blisters are created by your body to protect your skin to help it heal, so if you do get blisters with your burn, never intentionally break them. It will slow your skin’s healing and could even lead to an infection. If your blisters do break on their own, gently cleanse the area and cover it with a wet cloth to encourage healing.

If you have a serious blistering sunburn, you may need a doctor’s visit. Keep an eye out for signs of dehydration and heat exhaustion and call your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms:

• Fever
• Extreme thirst
• Chills
• Nausea
• Feeling faint
• Blistering that looks infected

Managing Sunburn Pain and Recovery

Once you realize you’re sunburned, there are some things you can do at home to try to speed up your healing and ease your symptoms.

Home Remedies for Sunburn

Luckily, there are plenty of home remedies available to treat sunburns. Try some of these tips to help you feel some extra relief as you heal:

• Apply Aloe Vera and Shea Butter to soothe and hydrate your skin
• Take cool baths or use cold compresses
• Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water
• Stay out of the sun until your skin is fully healed

Medical Treatments

If you need additional pain or itch relief during the healing process, you can:

• Use hydrocortisone cream on itchy skin or swollen skin
• Take over-the-counter pain relievers like aspirin or ibuprofen

Preventing Sunburn

No matter if it’s a long, sun-soaked beach day or part of your everyday summer skincare routine, you need to protect your skin from UV rays. Here are some tips to ensure you’re minimizing your sun exposure and preventing sunburn:

• Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher, whether it’s a moisturizer with sunscreen for daily use or a water-resistant SPF for beach days. Don’t forget to reapply every two hours!
• Wear sunglasses and protective clothing when possible.
• Avoid the sun or find shade during peak sun hours (between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.).

After a day in the sun, use these tips for after-sun recovery.

Protecting Different Skin Types

Fair skin tends to burn more easily than darker skin due to lower levels of melanin–the pigment that helps protect against UV radiation. However, sensitive skin of all types can still suffer significant damage from ultraviolet radiation exposure. First degree sunburn affects the outer layer of the skin and is typically seen as redness and pain.

Long-Term Effects of Sunburn

While sunburns may seem short-term, they can have long-term effects on the health of your skin, and even one bad sunburn can hurt your future skin.

Sunburns damage the DNA of your skin permanently, and lasting effects may include cosmetic impacts like premature aging, wrinkles, and sunspots, or more serious effects like an increased risk of skin cancer.

Make sure you’re protecting your skin with quality SPF and protective clothing every time you go outside and treat sun-damaged skin with these tips.