Last updated on February 22, 2026 by Giorgia Guazzarotti
What is the best treatment for sunburnt feet? If you’re like me, you never thought about it until your feet were completely red and swollen. And then you say, how did this happen? The truth is that your feet are one of the most sensitive parts of your body to sunburn. Think about it: You apply sunscreen to your face, your shoulders, the back of your neck — and then you spend the whole day in flip flops, forgetting about your feet. And because you’re on vacation, or in the park, or just having a nice day, you don’t notice until the sun goes down and you take off your shoes and it’s impossible to avoid sudden damage. *sigh* This article will tell you what really helps, what’s a waste of time, and why you should stop Googling and go to the doctor.
What exactly is sunburn?
Sunburn doesn’t just mean your skin being a little irritated. This is a real injury. Here’s how it happens: When UV light hits your skin, it damages the DNA inside your skin cells. Your body responds by filling the sunburned area with blood and fluid to try to heal things. There’s that redness, swelling, warmth and that horrible sensitivity where even the sheet touching your legs feels like too much. It’s not even immediately visible, which is why sunburns happen so secretly. You feel a little hot in the afternoon, you don’t think anything about it, and then you wake up the next morning and go “Hello sunburn!”
Feet are especially vulnerable because the skin there barely sees the sun, so it has zero tolerance for UV exposure. Add in the fact that sand and water reflect UV rays from below back at you, that your sunscreen probably washes off hours before you get out of the water, and most people don’t even think about protecting their feet in the first place – and honestly, it’s a surprise that doesn’t happen more often.
Sunburn Feed Treatment: What to Do
So you have got sunburn. What to do now to speed up the healing process:
1. Avoid exposure to sunlight
If you’re still out reading this, head inside. Really. Every additional minute of sun exposure on already burnt skin is making things worse, not just staying the same. If you’re already inside, stay inside. Simply applying a little sunscreen on top and then going back into direct sunlight isn’t going to help. Whether you like it or not, your feet need protection from the sun right now.
2. Cool your feet
The first thing you want to do is cool the affected area. Taking a cold water foot bath is honestly one of the best things you can do right here right now. Fill a small tub or washcloth with cool water (not ice cold, not a very cold shower) and simply soak your feet for fifteen to twenty minutes. It reduces heat, reduces irritation and feels like relief.
Do not apply ice packs directly to sunburned skin. I know it’s tempting. Feels like this should help. But shocking already damaged skin with something that cold can actually cause more damage than just damage to your already damaged skin. In case you’re wondering, a cold compress or cold shower will also work.
3. Provide moisture
After a cool shower, gently pat your feet dry (don’t rub!) and immediately apply moisturizer. The reason you do this while the skin is still slightly damp is because you are locking in moisture rather than simply applying the cream on top of dry skin. Go fragrance-free if you can. Anything with alcohol, perfume or “refreshing” ingredients is just going to sting and make things worse.
Aloe vera gel is fine here. The science on aloe vera for burn treatment is really encouraging: A meta-analysis of 371 patients found that aloe vera reduced healing time by about 9 days compared to controls.. Apply this.. just make sure you’re using pure aloe gel and not some bright green product that has mostly fragrances and colors in it.
4. Take anti-inflammatory medicine
This is actually one of the more useful things you can do. Ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin – these are actual anti-inflammatory medications that address the actual inflammatory response occurring in your skin, not just mask the pain. Such painkillers won’t magically speed up how fast a sunburn heals (to be honest, almost nothing will do – more on that in a moment), but they will make the next few days much more bearable. Take them as directed, ideally starting as soon as the irritation is discovered.
5. Drink plenty of water
This sounds like common health advice but it really matters here. Sunburn draws fluid to the surface of the skin. This can actually dehydrate you. Drink lots of water, more than usual, especially if you’re in the heat most of the day.
6. If your feet are swollen, elevate them.
If the tops of your feet are swollen as well as red, try lying down and raising your feet above the level of your heart. It helps in removing the fluid accumulated there. Putting a few pillows under your heels while you watch TV tonight will really make a difference in the morning.
7. wear sunscreen
And of course, don’t forget to apply broad-spectrum sunscreen on your feet before leaving the house. Reapply every two hours and whenever you come out of the water. Wide-brimmed hats won’t help your feet, but wearing protective clothing and actually shoes when you’re not actively at the beach will help. Open-toed shoes are good but they are not sunscreen.
what not to do
The Internet can be like the Wild West sometimes. So many treatments that promise to relieve pain no matter the severity of the burn. But, a lot of them don’t work and could actually work. Here’s what to avoid for faster sunburn healing.
- Apple Cider Vinegar. People swear by it for everything and it won’t do any good to your sunburned skin. Acidic substances on damaged skin = more irritation, not less.
- essential oils. Same problem. Some of them are actually phototoxic, meaning they can make sun damage worse. Just leave them out of it.
- blistering. If your sunburn develops blisters, it is a second-degree burn, and these blisters happen for a reason. They are protecting the raw skin underneath until it heals. Pop them and you’ve opened a wound that can become infected. Signs of infection to watch out for: pain in the area getting worse rather than getting worse, having some kind of discharge, red streaks spreading from the burning, or the skin feeling hot and getting worse instead of improving after a few days.
- hydrocortisone cream. You may have heard this suggestion for sunburn. The evidence is honestly weak; Topical steroids have not been shown to make a significant difference in the healing of sunburns. It won’t hurt you in the slightest, but don’t expect it to be a game-changer.
When you really need medical help
Most sunburns – even really painful ones – are first-degree burns, and they heal at home within about a week. It is completely normal for the skin to peel for a few days afterward; These are simply dead skin cells that move from beneath your body to replace them. Try not to peel it yourself, as the skin underneath is not ready yet. But some conditions really require more than home remedies.
If you have a fever, chills, nausea, or feel dizzy or faint, go and get medical treatment – these are symptoms of sun poisoning, which is a systemic reaction that goes beyond the skin and can quickly become serious. It is also advisable to seek medical help immediately if the blisters cover a large area of your feet, if there are signs of infection, or if your symptoms are getting worse rather than better after a few days. If you’re dealing with a young child who is severely sunburned, or someone who already has a family history of skin cancer or a history of bad skin reactions – see a healthcare provider as soon as possible.
bottom line
Look, you probably already knew that spending six hours barefoot on the beach in August was going to have consequences. There was already sunburn. What matters now is that you treat it properly, give your skin enough time to heal, and don’t make things worse by messing around with vinegar and essential oils at midnight. Your feet carry you everywhere you go. They deserve five minutes of sunscreen in the morning, and they deserve decent care when you let them down. Next summer, apply a little broad-spectrum SPF to the tops of your feet before you leave the house. That’s it. This is the whole secret. Until then – cold water, ibuprofen, aloe, and rest.
