Revealed: From blackberries to painkillers, these are the most effective ways to treat sunburn

WE’VE all been there. We go on holiday to hotter climes only to burn to a crisp on the first day.

But there’s no reason to let your sunburn ruin your holiday – a few simple cures can leave you feeling better in no time.

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Cold shower

As soon as you see any redness appear, or your feel pain, get yourself under a cool shower or into a cool bath.

You can also apply a dampened flannel to particular areas.

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Cool water will help the skin turn down the inflammatory mechanisms to reduce any damage that may result in scarring.

Keep doing this until your skin feels cool to the touch.

However, do not apply a frozen object or ice on your burn.

Putting ice straight onto sunburnt skin may lead to burns because it’s so sensitive, if you do want an extra cold compress, wrap ice in a cloth and then apply it to your skin.

If your burn is seriously bad, add an emollient, such as Dermol 600 Bath Emollient, £14 for 600ml from , to your bath water.

Pop a painkiller

Anti-inflammatory products, such as ibuprofen tablets, will help reduce both the pain and swelling caused by your burn.

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If the pain continues, you can also take paracetamol — but paracetamol on its own is not enough, as it isn’t anti-inflammatory and won’t reduce swelling.

Moisturise

Your sunburned skin will lose water and feel dry, so apply moisturiser to help with the healing process.

It doesn’t necessarily need to be an after-sun, but do use a lotion you’re familiar with to stop any unwanted reactions, which sunburnt skin is prone to.

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It is also wise to opt for an un-perfumed moisturiser to prevent any stinging – and anything with aloe vera will help to reduce swelling.

Try E45 lotion, £4.25, from , or Dr Organic Aloe Vera Skin Lotion, £6.99, from .

Berries are brilliant

Sunburn makes the body release free radicals into the skin and these can increase the chance of cells mutating as well as cancer.

Antioxidants target free radicals, so in theory eating foods that are full of antioxidants and help to reduce some of this cell damage.

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Blackberries and pomegranates are particularly helpful and help reduce sunburn and some research also suggests that antioxidant rich green tea could help.

Get some shade

It may sound obvious, but if you’re burnt, it’s time to get out of the sun.

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Your skin is already sensitive so additional sun exposure is likely make it even worse and cause and even deeper burn.

If your symptoms don’t improve after three days you should see your GP.