The other day my 2 boys and I were out in the sun. I thought we would only be out for about 10 - 15 min., so I didn't use any sunblock. Well, I lost track of time and later that night, me & my oldest were red! OUCH!!! My youngest is just the most beautiful tan color......he NEVER burns!!!

I am so picky about using sunblock, I can't believe that this happened.


I've been taking care of my 5 yo with motrin and aloe products, etc. He hasn't been running a fever or anything and he seems to be just fine if you touch his burn. Well, this morning, I wanted to put some lotion on his back & shoulders and noticed he was REALLY peeling!

As for myself, I scratched my shoulder and felt something wet. I have about 50 blisters on each arm and underneath the back of my neck.

So......my question is......what's worse? Immediately peeling afterwards or getting the blisters?

If the blisters pop, isn't there a chance for infection?

Any pointers? TIA!!

I could be wrong but I think the blisters are worse. They sound like they would hurt more anyway.
I don't know for sure though, I'm one of those disgusting people who don't burn and my kids don't either.

don't POP the blisters!!!!! yes, could get infection if it is a really big blister.

instead do what I've had done to me countless times...mr. bubble back after being in the sun ---

sterilize a needle and insert it near the edge of the blister to DRAIN it. it will temporarily reattach to the skin, giving the skin underneath time to regrow and heal. then it will peel off when the skin is ready.

peeling is no big deal...looks gross (he just might love looking like a falling apart zombie!!) but harmless so long as no oozing or tender redness underneath. Don't TRY to peel, just let it happen naturally.

edited to add: aleo gel helps relieve the sting as does vitamine e oil (helps heal faster too).

come from a whole family of burners -- where's the SPF 2000 when you need it!!!

I too, never burn, that is why at the beginning of summer I never thought of sunscreen for my 4 year old. Big mistake! And one I won't repeat! He seemed fine to until the next evening in the bath I noticed blisters appearing before my eyes. As the cool water hit his skin it would blister. He was miserable and sooo was I. Tylenol helped, and my mother reminded me that if you don't mind smelling like a pickle you can apply white vinegar BEFORE the blisters appear and it is soothing and will more quickly take the temperature away from the skin. AFTER blisters or open spots a oatmeal bath is soothing.

Thanks guys!!!


These are pretty small blisters on me-I think the largest one is MAYBE 1/4 of an inch. The majority of them are very small.





Doug - My 5 yo thought "cool" when he saw his shoulders!!! LOL! My 4 yo thought it was neat too.



Me & my 5 yo have very fair skin. DH & my 4 yo have a darker complexion. They NEVER burn, they look like they have perfect skin!



Makes me so mad!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL!!!

I guess it really depends on when the blisters started. I used to lifegaurd out doors, and one time I got second degree sunburn. I blistered that night with very large blisters--did NOT pop them. Really had it bad and had cover up for a few weeks--not a great summer. When you start talking about 2nd degree burns and popping blisters, there is a good chance of getting infection. Last Sunday (the 16th) I got burned pretty bad, but not 2nd degree. On Friday, I had little tiny blisters starting all over--it was just the dead skin getting ready to peel off. Also on Sunday, my two youngest got a bit burned too--not like me, though. This happened despite the fact that we lubed them about every hour with SPF 60 (we were at an amusement park). I have some pretty white Irish kids!

may still want to drain them rather than have them pop and soak sheets while sleeping or clothes while awake.

(i know TMI)

if they are the little blisters that form after a day or too, its just the moisture getting stuck under the dead skin, yes the skin under will still be tender, but it will be okay. Now if you come in from the sun and already have the blisters then you are in trouble. and need to go get some help from you doctor.

Yes i have that fair Irish skin too. With one of my boys taking after me and the other like his father tanning up nicely.

What i do when i get sun burned is when coming in from the sun i take white vinegar and dab it on to the burn, it takes the sting out of the sunburn and you are good to go. I keep a bottle in the fridge for just this purpose. If i'm burned all over i dump it in the tub and bath in it. Yes i smell like a salad, but there are worse things to smell like and by the next day the burn has usually turned.

Oh great!!!!!!!!



Now, I'M peeling!!!!!!!!! UGH!!!!!!!!!! LOL!!!





Thanks everyone for your input!!

To all I want to apologize ahead of time if this winds up sounding preachy. Please take it as a gentle suggestion rather than anything else. I would encourage everyone to see a dermatologist once a year for a skin check no matter what your age and whether you have ever burned or not.

At 24, I had my first suspect mole removed and it came back with pre-cancerous cells. Six months later I had another removed that was clear. At 26 I had another pre-cancerous mole result (that one I didn't even think looked different but my doctor wanted to remove it).

My case is different because as a teen I was quite the sunbather and at 16 I started going to the indoor tanning salons. But for anyone that spends time in the sun it can be a good idea to get checked. If caught early it is one of the most survivable of cancers.

Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now. Sorry, I hope I didn't upset anyone.

Don't know anything about sunburn, being fair skinned northern European in background
Yeah gross all of it LOL including peeling off sheets of skin HAHAHAHA

ok but seriously, Doug was right, take a sterilized pin or needle and drain it carefully. Second degree burns are serious (blistering) and yes in fact bacteria and other organisms can get in. To replenish the cells of dehydration, good idea to find some trace minerals, they're found in the health food store in the form of drops or tincture or any numerous other products. Multivitamin with full RDA would help too (especially Vitamin B complex) -needed for tissue repair. You can also get bactericide spray for the skin to reduce the possibility of infection (either natural from the pharmacy)

If you're using aloe vera, make sure it has no coloring, alcohol, or waxes or oils (if you have a plant, that's great
As a kid, I very successfully used St John's Wort and Calendula ointment as antiseptic and also as healer and painkiller. (And applying strong comfrey tea with cotton gauze works WONDERS Too! ) in my experience (this is not suggested for kids and also noted that burns heal more quickly if they're exposed to air)

What I find is everyone has their 'cure' -and now I'll get off my home remedy soapbox and also say I really sympathise, since I had a couple severe burns as a kid and man oh man it AINT FUN!

These were little tiny blisters I had. Luckily, my son didn't have any of them-he just started to peel. Later, after I "took care of my blisters" as mentioned above, those areas started to peel. So....I've been using regular lotion on my son now to keep moisture in his skin.


There are a lot of aloe products out there, whats up with a coloring to it? Should it only be clear then?

Being a veteran of the sun Vs. me wars, I can totally relate to your misery! Before the days of SPF 50, I would burn so bad I was almost hospitalized a couple of times. (I am a fair skinned, red headed Irish/German/English/
Cherokee). However, with my children I take no chances. Two of my children are adopted. My son is Afro-American and my youngest daughter is of hispanic descent and I spray them down with that new Coppertone aerosol spray. My oldest daughter is fair skinned like me and I use that on her as well. It's fantastic stuff! They go into the water and haven't burned in the slightest so far.

I had little blisters on my back once and from what I remember my mom sprayed this aloe or something similar to relieve burns on my back-- its a lot nicer the having someone rubbing aloe on your back / shoulders. And I think i slept on my belly with no shirt or sheets on to keep cool. I think the aloe spray worked well and it didn't get sticky like the gel stuff. just my opinion.

justme - I remember my Mom using something called solarcaine when I was little. Maybe that is similar to what you are thinking of? I remember it was aerosol and it helped to cool and sooth the discomfort a lot when I got bad burns. I tried to find it a few months ago when I thought I'd be outside for just a few minutes (turned into a few hours) and couldn't find it. I hope they didn't stop making it!