SunBurn Blisters and Swelling

[acheeringtiger]

I got sever sunburn two days ago and have three HUGE blisters as well as a ton of little water blisters. I'm not concerned about the little water blisters but the big blister are quite scary and keep getting bigger and bigger (one of them popped and had so much liquid in it my whole leg was drenched), also my left ankle and foot(where the biggest blister is) have become incredibly swollen and slightly discolored. It hurts like the dickens to stand or bend my legs and hurts the most after I've been laying down and go to stand up. Do I need to go to the doctor or is this normal and will it go away soon?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
For sunburns, use a sunburn Over-The-Counter remedy containing aloe vera and a light moisturizer or a dusting powder to relieve chafing. You can apply silver sulfadiazine (1% cream) on the skin except face and see if it helps.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.

[tschock]

There isn't much a doctor will do. The ointment they used to prescribe is not used much anymore, as it causes the skin to turn black.

Make sure to cover the blisters as they pop to avoid risk of infection.
Flour...yes flour, can be your best friend. Try covering the worst areas with it. It will soothe the burn quite nicely.

Sunburn in any form and stage is quite painful. Stay in the shade, apply ice if it helps, apply aloe or any other lotion ( calamine ) that doesn't make the sting worse.