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Dr. Chrysoula I. Liakou MD, PhD
- Treated online: Yes. A doctor can assess sunburn on camera, including blisters, and tells you when it needs to be seen in person.
- Usual course: redness starts 2 to 6 hours after sun exposure and peaks at 12 to 24 hours; most sunburn settles within 7 days.
- Self-care: get out of the sun, cool the skin, use aftersun or an unperfumed moisturiser, drink plenty of water, and take paracetamol or ibuprofen for the pain.
- See a doctor: for blisters or swelling, a high temperature or shivering, dizziness, a headache, feeling sick or muscle cramps after time in the sun.
- Emergency: call 112 for confusion, fainting, a seizure or hot skin that has stopped sweating, which can mean heatstroke.
Do not book a video appointment if someone with sunburn is confused or very drowsy, has hot skin that has stopped sweating, has a seizure or collapses. These are signs of heatstroke: call 112, and move them somewhere cool while you wait. Blistering over a large area with fever, shivering or vomiting also needs prompt in-person care.
Can an online doctor treat sunburn?
Yes. Sunburn is recognised by how it looks and how it happened, and both work by video. The doctor checks how much skin is burnt and whether blisters have formed, looks for signs of infection, dehydration and heat illness, and advises on pain relief and skin care. If the burn needs dressings, fluids or a closer look, the doctor tells you where to go.
How an online consultation helps with sunburn
- A close look at the burn: On camera, the doctor sees how far the redness spreads, whether blisters have formed and whether any have burst.
- Heat illness ruled out: Fever, shivering, dizziness, headache and vomiting are checked first, because they can mean heat exhaustion or dehydration.
- Pain relief that suits you: The doctor asks about your other medicines and conditions before suggesting painkillers or anything for the skin.
- A plan while it heals: How to care for blisters and peeling skin, how long to keep the burn out of the sun, and which signs mean you should be seen in person.
What the doctor checks in an online sunburn consultation
The consultation follows a fixed order, and the warning signs come first. The doctor asks about:
- Heat illness: fever, shivering, dizziness, a headache, feeling sick, muscle cramps or confusion.
- The burn: where it is, how much skin it covers, and whether there are blisters or swelling.
- Infection: pus, increasing pain, or redness and warmth that spread after the first days.
- Fluids: how much you are drinking and passing urine.
- Your medicines and skin: medicines that make skin more sensitive to sunlight, and any skin condition you have.
Before the call, find a spot with good light so you can show the burnt areas on camera, and have a list of your medicines to hand.
Sunburn symptoms
Sunburn is damage to the skin caused by too much ultraviolet (UV) light, from the sun or from a sunbed. The signs build over the hours after you come out of the sun:
- skin that feels hot to the touch, sore or painful
- redness on white skin; on brown or black skin the colour change can be hard to see, and heat, pain and tightness may be the main signs
- swelling and itching
- blisters, when the sunburn is severe
- flaking and peeling a few days later
Severe sunburn can also make you feel unwell, with a fever, chills, a headache, nausea or vomiting. Those symptoms need a doctor’s assessment, because they overlap with heat exhaustion and dehydration.
How long does sunburn last?
Most sunburn settles within a week. This is the usual timeline:
Swipe sideways to compare →
| Stage | When | What helps |
|---|---|---|
| Redness and pain begin | 2 to 6 hours after sun exposure | Get out of the sun and cool the skin |
| The burn is at its worst | 12 to 24 hours after | Pain relief, fluids, aftersun or moisturiser |
| Redness fades | Over 3 to 7 days | Keep the burnt skin covered from the sun |
| Peeling | From about 4 to 7 days | Moisturise, and leave peeling skin to come away on its own |
| Blisters heal | Usually within 7 to 10 days | Leave them intact and keep them clean |
Skin can stay more sensitive to the sun for several weeks after it peels, so it burns more easily for the rest of a holiday.
Sunburn blisters and sun poisoning
Blisters mean the burn has gone deeper than the top layer of skin: severe sunburn with blisters is a second-degree burn, and over a large area it can lead to dehydration and, rarely, shock. Leave blisters intact: the skin over a blister protects the raw skin underneath. If one bursts on its own, wash it gently with mild soap and water, and cover it with a clean, non-stick dressing.
See a doctor if a blistered area becomes more painful after the first two days, oozes pus, or the redness spreads, because these can be signs of infection.
What is sun poisoning?
Sun poisoning is not a medical diagnosis, and it has nothing to do with poison. People use the term for severe sunburn: blisters, severe pain and swelling, often with a fever, chills, a headache, nausea or vomiting. It needs a doctor’s assessment, and anyone who becomes confused or faints needs 112.
How to treat sunburn
Most sunburn can be treated at home. Start as soon as you notice it:
Do
- Get out of the sun as soon as possible.
- Cool the skin with a cool shower or bath, or a damp towel.
- Apply aftersun cream or spray, or an unperfumed moisturiser.
- Drink plenty of water to cool down and prevent dehydration, and avoid alcohol.
- Take paracetamol or ibuprofen for the pain, as the leaflet describes.
- Cover the sunburnt skin from direct sunlight until it has fully healed, with loose, soft, breathable clothing.
Don’t
- put petroleum jelly on sunburnt skin
- put ice or ice packs on the skin
- pop blisters
- scratch or pull off peeling skin
- wear tight clothing over the burn
Aloe vera gel, calamine lotion and cool compresses also soothe sunburnt skin.
Why is sunburn itchy?
Itching is part of sunburn, and often worst as the skin starts to peel. Cool compresses, aloe vera gel or a moisturiser help, and a pharmacist can suggest a mild hydrocortisone cream for adults. Try not to scratch or pull off peeling skin.
Who burns most easily?
Anyone can get sunburnt, including people with brown or black skin. The risk is higher if you:
- have pale, white or light brown skin, freckles, red or fair hair, or light-coloured eyes
- tend to burn rather than tan
- have a lot of moles, or a family history of skin cancer
- are only exposed to strong sun now and then, such as on a holiday in a hot country
- take a medicine that makes skin more sensitive to sunlight
- are a teenager or young adult, drink a lot of alcohol, or work outdoors
On fair skin, a quarter of an hour of midday sun can be enough to burn.
Medicines that can make skin more sensitive to the sun include some antibiotics, antifungals and anti-inflammatory painkillers, and retinoid creams and tablets used for acne. If you take one, ask the doctor how to protect your skin rather than stopping it.
How to prevent sunburn on holiday
Shade, clothing and sunscreen work best together:
- Stay in the shade in the middle of the day, when the sun is strongest, and check the UV index: protect your skin whenever it is 3 or higher.
- Cover up with a hat, a T-shirt and sunglasses.
- Use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 and high UVA protection. About 6 to 8 teaspoons covers an adult’s whole body, and a thin layer protects much less.
- Apply it 30 minutes before going out and again just before, then every 2 hours, and straight after swimming, towel drying or sweating, even if it is water-resistant.
- Remember that you can burn on a cloudy day, and that water, sand and snow reflect UV light onto your skin.
- Check the use-by date: sunscreen has a symbol showing how many months it lasts after opening.
To see how strong the sun is where you are staying, check the daily UV and heat scores for European cities in the Climate Health Index.
Can you burn through cloud or glass?
Through cloud, yes: up to 80% of UV rays pass through cloud. Through glass, rarely: window glass filters out most UVB, the rays mainly behind sunburn, but UVA passes through, can also contribute to sunburn, and ages the skin. A car’s windscreen blocks some UVA, while the side, rear and sunroof windows block little.
Which sunburn treatment might the doctor recommend?
Treatment depends on how deep the burn is and how you feel. This is the framework the doctors use, in line with NHS and dermatology guidance.
Swipe sideways to compare →
| What you have | Likely first step | Suitable for online care? | When in-person care is needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red, sore skin without blisters | Cooling, aftersun or moisturiser, pain relief | Yes | Not usually needed |
| A few small blisters | Blister care, pain relief and a check for infection | Yes | If blisters cover a large area or become infected |
| Blisters with fever, chills, a headache or nausea | Assessment for heat illness and dehydration | Yes, to assess | If you cannot keep fluids down or feel faint |
| Pus, spreading redness or increasing pain | Antibiotic treatment if the doctor finds an infection | Yes | If you also have a high temperature and feel very unwell |
| Confusion, collapse or a seizure after time in the sun | Heatstroke: emergency treatment | No | Call 112 now |
Not sure how bad your sunburn is? A doctor can tell you in one consultation.
See available times →Treatment options for sunburn
What you can do yourself
- Cool the skin several times a day with a cool shower or a damp towel.
- Apply aftersun, aloe vera gel or an unperfumed moisturiser to soothe the skin and ease peeling.
- Take paracetamol or ibuprofen for the pain. Ibuprofen does not suit everyone, including people with a stomach ulcer, kidney problems or heart failure.
- Drink extra water until the skin has healed.
Prescription treatment
A prescription is never issued without a consultation. Most sunburn heals with self-care. If a blistered area becomes infected, the doctor can prescribe an antibiotic cream or tablets. Steroid creams are sometimes suggested for sunburn, but studies disagree on whether they help, so the doctor discusses with you whether one is worth trying. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
What does not help
Sunburn does not turn into a protective tan: tanning and burning are both signs of damage, and burnt skin stays more sensitive to the sun for weeks, so it needs more protection, not less.
Special situations
Sunburn and skin cancer
Getting sunburnt raises the risk of skin cancer: a single blistering sunburn at least doubles the risk of melanoma, and so does a history of 5 or more sunburns. If you have had bad sunburns, check your moles regularly, and have any mole that changes looked at. The melanoma page explains the signs.
Sunburn on holiday
Skin used to a cooler climate burns quickly in strong southern sun, especially near water, sand or snow. After a burn, keep the skin covered for the next days, plan time on the beach for the early morning and late afternoon, and use shade as well as sunscreen. Other holiday health problems are covered on the travel illnesses page.
A rash rather than a burn
An itchy rash of small bumps that appears hours or days after sun exposure, often on skin that did not burn, is more likely a sun allergy or heat rash.
Sun on snow and water
Strong sunlight reflected off snow or water can also burn the surface of the eyes. Painful, gritty, watering eyes after a day on the slopes are covered on the snow blindness page.
Children
Mobi Doctor consultations are for adults aged 18 and over. A child who is unwell needs a paediatrician or a local doctor in person, and emergency signs in a child mean 112.
When sunburn is treated online, and when you need in-person care
Treated online: sunburn with or without small blisters, peeling and itching, pain relief, signs of infection in a burn, and advice on medicines that make skin sensitive to sunlight.
In-person care: blistering over a large area, a burn with vomiting that stops you drinking, any sign of heatstroke, and an infected burn in someone who is very unwell.
When to get in-person care
Call 112 or go to an emergency department now for:
- confusion, drowsiness, a seizure or collapse after time in the sun
- hot skin that has stopped sweating, with fast breathing or a racing heart
- feeling faint, cold and clammy with severe, widespread sunburn
Get medical advice the same day for:
- blistered or swollen skin
- a high temperature, or feeling hot, cold or shivery
- feeling very tired, dizzy or sick, a headache, or muscle cramps
- pus, spreading redness or increasing pain in a burn
How Mobi Doctor works
- Book a time that suits you: daily 7am–11pm CEST. You can see a doctor over video, usually within 15 minutes. No subscription, and the exact price is shown before you pay.
- Speak to a licensed doctor about your sunburn: show the burnt skin on camera in good light, and say when you were in the sun and how you feel.
- Leave with a plan: what to do, what to take and for how long, and which signs mean you should be seen in person. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
No sign-up needed
Not sure it’s sunburn? Tick every symptom you have to see each condition page that mentions it. It finds the right page, not a diagnosis: a doctor gives you that on a video call.
Tap the body — an area or a point — to browse symptoms anywhere
Similar symptoms, different condition? Sun allergy can start the same way. Compare them, or look up any other symptom in the full symptom checker.
Frequently asked questions about sunburn
How long does sunburn last?
Redness and pain start 2 to 6 hours after sun exposure and are worst at 12 to 24 hours. Mild sunburn usually settles within 7 days, peeling starts after about 4 to 7 days, and blisters usually heal within 7 to 10 days.
What causes sunburn?
Sunburn is caused by ultraviolet light, mainly UVB, penetrating the skin and damaging the DNA of skin cells; the body kills the damaged cells and floods the area with blood and inflammatory chemicals, which is the redness, heat and pain, and the dead cells peel off days later. It takes as little as a quarter of an hour of strong midday sun to burn fair skin, longer for darker skin, and some medicines, such as doxycycline and some diuretics, make the skin burn faster.
What is the fastest way to treat sunburn at home?
Get out of the sun, cool the skin with a cool shower or a damp towel, apply aftersun or an unperfumed moisturiser, drink plenty of water, and take paracetamol or ibuprofen for the pain. Nothing heals sunburn overnight, but these steps ease the pain while the skin repairs.
Should I pop sunburn blisters?
No. The skin over a sunburn blister protects the raw skin underneath. If a blister bursts on its own, wash it gently with mild soap and water and cover it with a clean, non-stick dressing. See a doctor if it oozes pus or the redness spreads.
What is sun poisoning, and when is sunburn serious?
Sun poisoning is not a medical term. People use it for severe sunburn with blisters, severe pain and swelling, often with a fever, chills, a headache, nausea or vomiting. These symptoms need a doctor’s assessment, because they can also be signs of heat exhaustion or dehydration. Call 112 for confusion, fainting, a seizure or hot skin that has stopped sweating.
Is it better to cover sunburn or let it breathe?
Both: keep sunburnt skin covered from the sun until it has healed, with loose, soft, breathable clothing that does not rub, and avoid tight clothes. Leave blisters intact, and cover a blister that bursts with a clean, non-stick dressing.
Does sunburn turn into a tan?
Sunburn does not turn into a protective tan. Tanning and burning are both signs of damage to the skin, and burnt skin stays more sensitive to the sun for several weeks after it peels, so it burns more easily, not less.
Can you get sunburnt through a window?
Rarely. Window glass filters out most UVB, the rays mainly behind sunburn, but UVA passes through glass and can still contribute to sunburn and skin ageing. Car side and rear windows block little UVA.
Can you get sunburnt on a cloudy day?
Yes. Up to 80% of UV rays pass through cloud, and water, sand and snow reflect it, so sunburn can happen on an overcast day at the beach or on the slopes. Check the UV index and protect your skin whenever it is 3 or higher.
Which sunscreen should I use on holiday?
To prevent sunburn, use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 and high UVA protection. Apply about 6 to 8 teaspoons to cover an adult’s whole body, 30 minutes before going out and again just before, and reapply every 2 hours and after swimming or towel drying, even if it is water-resistant.
Does sunburn increase the risk of skin cancer?
Yes. Getting sunburnt raises the risk of skin cancer, and a single blistering sunburn at least doubles the risk of melanoma. Protecting your skin from now on still lowers your risk, and any mole that changes should be checked by a doctor.
Can an online doctor treat sunburn?
Yes. A doctor can look at sunburn on camera, check for blisters, infection and the signs of heat illness, and advise on pain relief and skin care. If a burn is infected, the doctor can prescribe an antibiotic after the consultation. Signs of heatstroke need 112.
- Sunburn, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 24 November 2025.
- Sunscreen and sun safety, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 24 March 2026.
- Sunburn, DermNet, New Zealand, reviewed December 2025.
- Sunburn, Skin Cancer Foundation, 2026.
- UV radiation and your skin, Skin Cancer Foundation, updated July 2026.
- UV window film and tint, Skin Cancer Foundation, updated December 2024.
- Sun poisoning symptoms: signs you’ve had too much sun, Harvard Health Publishing, 2024.
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for a medical consultation. Guideline links are provided for transparency; treatment decisions are made with your doctor.
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