What should you know about sunburn degree burn?

Most sunburns affect the outer skin and cause warmth, redness, soreness and later peeling. Fluid-filled blisters indicate more substantial skin injury and should not be deliberately opened. Severe pain, marked swelling, raw areas or symptoms affecting a large body area deserve prompt clinical advice. Skin tone can change how redness looks, so pain, heat, tenderness and texture also matter.

Leave the sun, cool the skin with a clean damp cloth or a cool shower, and drink fluids regularly. Apply a bland moisturiser or emollient while the skin is intact; avoid rubbing, fragranced products and ice directly on the skin. Wear loose clothing, protect the area from further ultraviolet exposure, and do not pull at peeling skin or pop blisters. A pharmacist or clinician can advise whether a suitable pain reliever or other treatment is appropriate for you.

Seek urgent help for confusion, faintness, repeated vomiting, severe weakness, trouble breathing, eye pain or vision changes. Arrange medical assessment for widespread blistering, severe or worsening pain, extensive swelling, signs of infection such as spreading redness or pus, or a burn in a very young child. A clinician can assess deeper injury and recommend wound care.

Ask whether the appearance suggests superficial or deeper injury, which moisturiser is suitable, how to protect any blisters, and which symptoms should prompt reassessment.