For broken blisters, trim off the dead skin with fine scissors and apply an antibiotic ointment. Taking cool baths or applying cool, wet compresses to sunburned areas several times a day also helps relieve pain and burning. Adding 2 oz of baking soda to a tubful of water may help. Showers usually cause too much pain to be helpful. Encourage your child to drink extra fluids to replace the fluid lost into the swelling of sunburned skin and to prevent dehydration and dizziness.
Peeling usually occurs in about a week.
Apply a moisturizing cream. Encourage your child not to peel off the dried skin before the skin underneath is completely healed. Avoid these common mistakes. DO NOT apply petrolatum or other ointments or butter to sunburns because they prevent heat and sweat from escaping from the skin and are painful to remove. Don t use first aid creams or sprays that contain benzocaine on burns because they can cause an allergic rash.