The most obvious prevention of getting a sunburn is staying out of the sun. Of course, that’s typically not possible. The best way to protect your skin is to wear sunscreen (with an SPF of 30 at a minimum) every single day, no matter the weather. Wear a hat to further protect your scalp and face. Since sunburns are a result of UV rays, the sun doesn’t need to be out for you to get burned. If you are spending hours outdoors, reapply your sunscreen every couple hours.

So you didn’t follow the prevention procedures and got a sunburn. What now? Well, there’s no way to actually repair the damage – the skin just has to heal. All you can do is relieve the pain and dehydration. Apply moisturizer (a kind that will not further irritate your skin, i.e. avoid scented lotions) and drink plenty of water to hydrate yourself from the inside.

Take aspirin or ibuprofen (Advil) to relieve symptoms of swelling and pain. If you have blisters, don’t pop them – give them a chance to heal without causing infection. Most importantly, cover up your sunburn with clothing when you go outside again.

If you’ve been sunburned or gotten tan many times, remember that it means your skin has been repeatedly damaged and your chances of getting skin cancer are higher. But before you get too annoyed with the sun, don’t forget that the sun also helps us out with a nice big dose of vitamin D!