Before I continue, let me clarify something: this is regarding the pain-from-getting-burned-just-stopped sunburn itch, not the my-skin-is-peeling sunburn itch.
Here is the backstory:
After spending some time near the equator, I developed a whopper of a sunburn. For a few days I had some difficulty sleeping secondary to the pain the I experienced any time that I moved. Lathering up my back with aloe and other mosturizers, by Sunburn Day 3 the pain was starting to abate and I figured that I was just about out of the wood. Then the unthinkable happened.
I was minding my own business (standing on the street corner when these two guys started to make trouble...wait that's another story), sitting by the computer when out of the blue my back starts to itch.
So naturally I reach around and scratch it. And would you believe it, that didn't seem to help. I keep scraching, but I'm quickly realizing that I need something bigger as I can't scratch my entire back at once, so I run into the bathroom and start frantically grinding my back up against one of the towels that we had hanging up. All this seemed to do was create a kind of itch/pain wherever I last scratched.
This seemed to help for a few minutes, but I was quickly leaving the this-is-mildly-annoying part and entering the I'm-at-risk-for-losing-my-mind phase.
I then tried laying face up in bed and moving up and down, but of course that didn't work. Then I tried arching my back as much as possible (is that decorticate or cerebrate?) as if I was going to do a backwards cartwheel, then curling up into the fetal position--zero help whatsoever.
All the while the itchiness was coming in ever greater waves. My heart was racing and my entire body began to pulsate with each heartbeat. You may think I am exaggerating, but until you have suffered through a good case of sunburn itch, you'll never understand. There were times where I actually considered going into the emergency room, I was that concerned that something serious might be going on.
So here was the one thing that helped: put about an inch of aloe vera gel on your back. I'm assuming it is your back that got burned because, unless your a nudist, chances are you went to the beach with skin white enough to make the Amish proud and decided to spend most of the day face down. Here's the important part: lie completely still, facedown on the bed. I'm sure that after a lot of itching you will be having some involuntary back spasms with how bad the pain is, but the only way to feel better is to keep from moving the burned part.
At first, putting gel on your back is only going to make the itching worse, and you'll still have some lingering itchiness, but it will pale in comparison to how miserable you were beforehand.
Addendum: My wife couldn't believe that I was in as much agony as I was letting on--feel free to point to the comments section of this post when your friend/parent/significant doesn't believe you. Also, feel free to leave comments in the forum if you would prefer. Thanks to everyone who has posted their own stories in the comments section, they always bring a smile to my face.
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Update: was interviewed by the National Post regarding my experience, it would seem that sunburn itch is still very rarely described and somewhat poorly understood now 5 years after this original post. You can find the whole story here.
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943 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 401 – 600 of 943 Newer› Newest»Like everyone else here I'm just about ready to rip my skin off. I'm fairly pale and burn pretty easily (I'm basically a redhead without the red hair) but I've never gotten this kind of itch before. It hit about an hour ago after I had a shower which was apparently a HUGE mistake. I seriously feel terrible for those who have had this for more than a day.
The only thing I can suggest if you can't get your hands on any of the above creams or medications is to put a shirt on (if you were burnt on your back, like me) and rub a pillow case along the itch. This has helped my itch become bearable and the time between twitching itch waves has increased without leaving nail marks in your skin, making the burn worse. Also drinking lots of water helps and so does reading this.
Aloe doesn't seem to help, just made a sticky mess all over my back and brought out the itching as soon as it dried.
Don't shower, have a cool bath and put lots of bicarb soda in, this is what a nurse told me to do, and it seemed to help quite a lot.
Wear a T-shirt, this helps a hell of a lot.
Good luck to everyone, and may god have mercy on our souls/
THis happened to me in THailand, and I didn't even look that burnt! I went absolutely mad, it was the worst pain I had even had. The resort drove me to the international hospital where I was diagnosed with acute neuralgia and given diclofenac injections and topical silver sulfadiazine cream (SSD). With two days of treatment I was back on track, yay!
At least I know I'm not crazy. Because I looked like and Ice Junkie at work. Standing in the Sun with a crazy look on my face. I get told to go home and sort my back out. Due to me being a Ginger and my skin white as fuck I should know that I get hell burnt. This is the second time I have had this crazy itch. It sounds cray but you just have to sit still and remain calm. Slow your heart rate and the itch will calm as well. Fuck summer. It brings the worst things. Lol
DON'T GO IN WATER. I have gone through this 3 times in my life and the worst thing to do is to get it wet. If you take a shower make sure to get as little water on the burn as possible. Oatmeal baths and other baths will only be a quick fix and will get way worse when you eventually get out of the tub. The best thing to do is not itch it and the main part of the pain and itching will subside. You will still feel some pricks and pokes but you have to fight the urge to itch it. I recommend screaming really loud or smashing your fists into something. It takes about 5 minutes before the main itch goes away. As for how long this lasts, somewhere around 5-7 days is how long mine lasts. Wear light clothing or none at all. As for cures, I haven't found any yet :(
OMG when will this end? I am jumping all over the place, antihistimine is the only thing helping.
I feel your pain! It's so horrid. The only thing that helps me is applying heat - I KNOW how crazy it sounds, but I swear by it! Hot water. A blast with hairdryer. Warm compress. HEAT takes out the itch. It;s so weird, and goes against these 'cooling' remedies - I was SO reluctant to try it but IT WORKS.
If you're going crazy with sunburn itch right now, TRY APPLYING WARMTH. Hot shower, blasting skin with a hairdryer on high heat setting. If this seems to scary, just press a mug full of fresh coffee against the itch (with a clothing barrier for safety reasons!) and see if it works. WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TO LOOSE?
TRY IT. I PROMISE NOTHING ELSE WORKS AS WELL IN RELIEVING FIRE ANT HELL ITCH.
Woke up at 3am in kill me mode and was wondering if I should drag myself into the ER. Thank god someone wrote this blog. I've been reading all the comments for the past two hours as my inch layer of aloe dries. The itching is somewhat bearable now. I agree, the initial lotion application will set you on fire, but then it calms down afterwards. Hope this works and I can sleep again.
My story is similar to many others. Like an idiot I went to the tanning bed pasty white and left red. It was a regrettable burn and I was sore, but it didn't seem too problematic until about 2 days later. I was feeling better, went on a run and then hopped in the shower right after the run. I think the moderately warm shower set it off.
sidenote - My unique circumstances of having done this stupidity to myself in a tanning bed suggests to me (also by the uniform redness) that I was equally burned on my legs, chest, arms and back. Yet the crazy itching sensation and pain only dramatically attacked my back. As I shower facing away from the flow, does this show that the hot shower water is what initiated the itching, knife-stabbing, poking burn?
Right after the shower I had an uncomfortable itchy back that turned into insanity-level-itchy over the following 15 minutes. I was shaking and FREAKING out. I got my wife to drive to the local wallgreens where we bought the solarcaine spray (with lidocaine active ingredient) and used it immediately in the wallgreens bathroom. The intensity went from a 9 to a 4 and I noticed I started calming down and breathing normally within about 3 minutes (from a panic level moments earlier). Once back home my wife lathered my back with the solarcaine gel we also bought that includes aloe (and lidocaine). The initial cold sensation was a painful touch but within a few moments I think the lidocane started numbing my back and the itchy painful sensations went to intermittent surges of manageable pain. I also took Ibuprofen, drank a couple beers and could sleep through most of the night.
Today I woke at about 6am, had a couple productive hours working from home but by 9am I started to feel it coming back. The solarcaine spray seemed to work only for a couple moments before the itch would come back. I took tylenol and iburofin but the itchiness and pain seemed not to be mitigated at all. I started to go crazy again. I read this blog, went to the store and bought Sarna Original along with some others, and when I got home I went for the Sarna. It has menthol and so stinks a bit and, man did it burn for about 5 minutes. I just laid on my belly on the bed trying to relax as the menthol-smelling Sarna felt like it was opening up my skin. I think it brought the pain and itchiness down and it's my new go-to topical medication. Yet I couldn't reach to rub it all over my back so I can't say for sure if the continued pain is just the parts left untreated by the Sarna, or if Sarna has limited affect. It does advertise on the bottle as an anti-itch lotion for sunburn.
Anyway, I finally figured out a way to get peace: vodka. On the edge of crazy and with inspiration from someone on this blog referencing whiskey drinking, I started getting drunk at about 11am this morning. As I type this I'm hammered. I can still feel the painful poking and itchiness on my back, but it is VERY dulled to the point where I don't care so much and I am relaxed. The panic is all gone and despite some remaining discomfort I just don't really care. When I feel a new sharp pain, I just have another drink and it seems to be successful mitigating my issues.
My hope is that the healing process will continue despite my drunkenness and that when I sober-up it won't be so bad. It's friday, so if it's not cleared up by tomorrow I'll just continue with the aloe, sarna and vodka tomorrow as well. It's almost been 24 hours now. How long will this torture last?
I do believe those that write about the effects/concerns of dehydration, so I do intend to start drinking lots of water as well. I'll provide more feedback when this is all over...
pharmasist gave me zinc oxcide.... helped a littlle best thing was reading this and getting my mind off it... worst pain ever!
A couple of days ago I got sunburnt. I had the typical sunburn pains but still bearable. Today it hit me... I was struck by the grim reaper!
This itch is the worst thing I have felt. I am a 30 year old male, 2 sleeve tattoos, broke my nose twice and have been stabbed. They are all nothing compared to the feeling of this!! It is the absolute worst feeling ever.
Sprayed aloe on it and oh my god I wanted to cry. It made it a thousand times worse. I was running around with my fists clenched cursing, crying and praying that it goes.
I didn't know what to do. I had 2 telfast followed by a bath. Got out and had a panadine forte then went to sleep. Still have the itch but not as bad thank god.
I feel for you all. I will never get burnt like that again.
I was working in the sun for about 8 hours on sat, Which Burned me to a crisp.
I was in unbearable pain, But, I worked for another 8 hours on Sunday....
The first was bad enough.... But I think I shouldn't have gone the second day, Now I'm regretting it.
That totally worked and it feels sooooooooooo good on my back. Thank you so much. Aloe didnt work anywhere near as well as this
I honestly wish people that say to pale people "get a tan" would read this. I got a bad burn a couple days ago. Unfortunately it's all over my back side so when I walk I look like friggin Frankenstein because I can't bend my knees. I'm due for my itching, and it hasn't started yet. While showering in the past did work for me, I only do it briefly so I don't look like a cave woman. This time, I got body wipes at CVS, cortisone cream to be prepared and an ultra moisturizing cream. Though the first day of the bad burn I got an expensive cream by Aubrey. The ingredients are organic but it's called After Sun in a small orange tube if anyone wants to buy it. It also has cellular repair antioxidants in it so it should help for a swift recovery. Unfortunately I have run out of it, so I'm moving on to the Dial ultra moisturizing cream and vicodin. Also, waiting for a phone call from my doctor. The most important thing about these burns is staying hydrated. The numbing creams, sprays(especially the ones with lidocaine, it just tickles your skin and makes you want to stab yourself), and aloe will not help with itch. It's only good for the burn part of the sunburn, so don't use it. Instead stick with moisturizing creams or cortisone and drink more water than you can stand. If you need to clean off any cream or aloe, don't shower use body wipes. They're cool and refreshing plus you don't have to lose any moisture in your skin, they have vitamin E and usually aloe. Look for them in the baby section of the store... diaper section to be precise. Not the butt wipes either, body wipes are what you want. I will post an update when I hear from my doctor to let you all know what she recommends.
In short things to buy at the drug store:
ultra moisturizing creams, if you have a whole foods or other organic food store GO THERE! They have the best shit and find something all natural or organic and get plenty of it. Put it on every 4 hours. I ran out. :-(
Body wipes found in the baby section of the store to clean your skin if you need to get aloe off and moisture on without triggering the itch.
cortisone cream, the strongest one you can find. In case all else fails, rub this on.
If you can, lather that stuff on and hang out naked or in a robe or something with as little seam as possible. (I can't emphasize putting lotion on at the start of the burn. DOUSE YOURSELF!) Get some comfort foods and focus on recovery. Also if you have access to Vicodin. That's helping me immensely. Hopefully I don't go into work tomorrow scratching my ass all day. I seem to be OK for now. Lots of H20.
Thanks for all the great posts. I have had this unbelievably horrible itch on and off at the end of every summer after being on the beach where I live. Always always on my shoulders and upper arms for some reason.
I just returned from two weeks on a cruise ship ending in Brazil... so most of the time in the sun. No burn but a deep tan and yes, with sunscreen.
About a week ago the itching started. I've now been back three weeks. It's only on my arms from my shoulders to the wrists, but its so bad I've wondered if I really need arms anyway.. ( I know, who could think that but if you'd had this itch you're nodding your heads!)
I have a skin care business and very advanced skin care technologies and nothing works for this. Nothing. Its more than an itch, it feels like a million bees are stinging me and itching at the same time.
I will tell you that after reading all of these great posts, it stopped a bit so the person who recommended meditating is on to something. That or watch/read really funny stuff.
Hope you are all itch free very very soon!!
I got sunburnt last weekend and yesterday i had the worst itching pain of my life!!!! I'm really fair skinned and used to being burnt, but this is the first time that I have had the itch to go with it. I tried everything mentioned in the posts, but the only thing that helped me was cold aloe after sun lotion by banana boat and time. I spent most of the day yesterday crying because of the pain. It has pretty much subsided today and I'm praying that it stays this way. Good luck to everyone with this
I am in the same boat. I am usually very conscience of getting burned because I know how the itch is. I rarely hurt from burn, I ALWAYS itch but it's only my back for some reason. I have burned my chest and stomach but they never itch like my back does.
I have tried Gold Bond powder and it actually helps a little, but the aloe and solarcaine is just VERY temporary relief. Aspirin is a big help and I just tried Benadryl just now so we'll see how that works.
Anyone have any idea why the back is such an intense itch so much worse than the other body parts?
I'm going through it right now... I'm kinda pissed at myself because this is the sixth or so time I've gone through this! I always promise myself I won't let it happen another time, but then summer rolls around and I decide to ignore that I'm a border line albino! Ive discovered that keeping your back aloed from the start helps a great deal! And do not let anything touch or rub across your back!
so i got what i thought was just a slight burn on my neck and back three days ago on tuesday. today, almost friday, i have had that uncontrollable kill yourself fucking ITCH. no way i could just think of calm other things, nope. at first i got vaseline with aloe vera in it lotion... helped by had to reapply it A LOTTT. today i got advil took 2 of those and cvs brand AFTERSUN aloe vera cooling gel (with lidocaine) worked wonders but ONLY after 10 min it took to sink in. although i have no blisters or swelling or anything, it's as red as can be, and i have really fair skin but this is horrible. i feel all of your pain :( truly excrutiating. believe me i would smoke myself silly if i had some to spare. i guess what you can do is drink tonssss of water, rub some aloe on that ish, DO NOT scratch (although it feels heavenly you'll want to legit stab your face off shortly after) and take some advil or similar medicine. goood luck!
ps. this is day 3 of this burn. the first day/night there was no itch but i felt sick to my stomach and very nauseous. then yesterday the itching occured, ugh worst ever) but this too shall pass.. eventually
I'd have to say the best remedy is a three step one.
I've been seriously burned, HORRIBLY, before, and currently have a minor sunburn compared to that.
I steer VERY clear of any and all lotions, or anything on the skin during the itchy stages. If you don't know EXACTLY what you're putting on, you're risking 10 extra hours of extreme torture. Seriously, why risk it.
Step 1; PUT ON A SHIRT. Or a TOWEL or something that will hinder air from reaching your skin, as it seems to only irritate it even further.
Step 2; You MUST itch it gently. Rub or slap if you can stand it. You don't want your uncontrollable scratching to upset your skin even more.
Step 3; Get yourself into a COLD room. Not ice cubes, not a cold shower. I'm talking a room with AC, get yourself to the point of chilly, and then keep your mind busy by reading all sorts of other ways you can beat the itches.
Basically your skin is healing, and by scratching it uncontrollably you're damaging it even further, which requires more healing, and you guessed it, more itching. So itch VERY gently or rub with a cloth.
If you don't let air get to your skin, your itches will subside into a weird sensation of bugs crawling on your skin.
Wear a really tight shirt or something.
Though this sensation is completely creepy and may send shivers down your spine, it is NOTHING compared to rolling around uncontrollably for 2 days
Rub peanut butter where it itches
It'll make you feel gross but the oils make it stop
Use Dawn dish soap after a while to take the oils off
Here is the absolute BEST way to stop Sunburn itch. Let me explain. When the skin dies, particularly after sunburn it becomes those nasty little razor blades, nearly microscopic, that dig into your new, tender, healing skin. When you scratch it, it just upsets more little razor blades and it spreads uncontrollably.
YOU DO NOT NEED LOTIONS OR CREAMS OR SHOWERS. STAY CLEAR FROM THIS STUFF.
What you need is tape. Duct tape if you can stand it. Roll it into a ring around a finger, and pat the itchy areas that same way you would use it to get rid of dog hair on your sweater.
The reason this works?
Tape allows you to lift the dead skin directly off the tender skin, without upsetting it, injuring it, cutting it, etc.
GIVE IT A TRY ON A SMALL ITCH.
Forget the word "itch"...I feel like I have been covered in fire ants. I received what I consider to be a mild sunburn (it was only 83 degrees and I was only outside for about 50 minutes) 2 days ago while wearing a tank top style shirt. The insanity hit me just minutes after I started my weekly grocery shopping trip today for my family of 5. Although I had the "itch" about 20 years ago and knew to avoid showering right after the burn, I hadn't even considered that walking into the store through a rainstorm would have the same effect. My crispy and ruined nerve endings went all haywire and let's just say that by the time I was getting ready to check out I was in full panic mode and am quite sure that every employee of that store thought I was in full need of some type of detox treatment facility.
Reading this blog makes me feel less wimpy. I have birthed two babes over 9 and a half pounds without a lick of drugs or epidural, but this is a whole other ball game. It is real physical and mental torture that makes loaning your suit of skin to that crazy guy on Silence of the Lambs seem like a perfectly wonderful idea.
Someone on here mentioned that giving himself goosebumps was helpful and I do find cranking the AC until I get the shivers is temporarily soothing. I do have to say that this is the first time I have have the pain actually traveling to areas of my body which aren't even close to the burn.
It puts the lotion on it's skin...It puts the aloe on it's skin...now try vinegar, wait, here's some oatmeal infused with lidocaine and a heavy narcotic...smother it on and then eat the rest!
Burned myself on Sunday doing yard work. Monday was fine, just regular sunburn pain. Tuesday is when the hell started. I woke up in the morning and everything was fine. I made the mistake of taking a shower and the itch began. I had no idea what to do with myself. I took some advil, and ran around the house like a lunatic for a while. Tried showering again, it helped a bit. After sitting still for a while, it subsided and everything was good again. I went about my day, but it came back. BADDDD. I was in the middle of lifting when it started and I lost my mind. Aloe made it 1000x worse and nothing really seemed to help. When my mom got home she put vinegar soaked towels on my back and it helped. It has been 4 hrs and the itch isn't back yet.......
My 15 year old son is going through this unbearable itch right now. I have never seen anything like it. I literally said to him this morning "I have had 4 natural childbirths, I don't want to hear your complaining" and now I read this pain/itch is worse than childbirth. Based on his actions, I think it probably is. He is out of his mind. Until I read these comments I didn't have much sympathy for him because he (like an idiot) stayed out in the sun on Sunday to "get a tan". Boys with skin like he has do not tan. they burn, peel and turn white again. we just visited my friend (at 3:30 am), who happens to be my neighbor and our family doctor and she gave him a cocktail of drugs and he is starting to calm down, but it has taken 40 minutes and I don't have any hopes that it will last. Thanks for giving me some understanding of what he is going through.
Yep. Im dying.
I've covered myself in all sorts of lotions and probably have made it worse. Mainly my back and chest but my whole body got it pretty good. This is really testing my control as a human being
I have a presentation in 3 hours, I pray to Jesus this is gone by then.
Benadryl
Okay so I have been in the same boat as the hundreds of posts above me, and here is my suggestion. As many people have said you need to drink lots of water. Just moments ago I was shaking all over from the unbearable, indescribable itching that everyone else has mentioned. What I did was get in the bath and pour buttermilk over my back, and let is sit for while, I had to pour it on a few times and it was very cold but it relieved the itching after a while. Then I filled the bath up with barely warm water and oatmeal and soaked for a short period of time. These two things have helped a lot. There is still some minor itching but nothing compared to the mind rending pain from earlier. I hope this can help someone else too.
Obviously, I am going through the same situation right now. First of all, WTF nature. No, seriously, WTF nature. There is no possible way that this level of discomfort is of evolutionary benefit to me.
Alright. That being said, I've found that keeping a shirt on is definitely huge. Not only is cotton the fabric of our lives, but it is keeping me from leaping out of my window right now and plunging to my death. Ok, so I live on the first floor, but seriously for whatever reason smothering your skin seems to be of universal benefit.
I've found, like many of you, that anti-itch creams should be considered quite pro-itch regarding sunburn itch political issues. Also like many of you, the shower is what began this whole saga for me. DO NOT TAKE A SHOWER. SERIOUSLY DO NOT DO IT. One thing that I haven't seen mentioned here is NaCPA, you can find it at some healthfood stores and GNC, it is your skins' natural moisturizing agent and is even better than aloe for sunburn relief in my humble opinion.
Like I said when I was 10, and more recently when I drank one too many at my friends' birthday party, I will never do this again.
I've also been through this excruciating pain and it's usually on my back. Cocoa butter doesn't seem to feed the itch as much as the aloe. The shirt is a MUST. Anytime you shower, soak in the tub, or put on moisturizer, put on a shirt and let it stick. Also another thing that helps most haven't mentioned is water! Drink AT LEAST your daily required water. It cools your body and helps the healing process. I would advise against using multiple products in close time to each other or taking sheets/shirts off and on by hopping in and out of the shower. Shower, moisturize, then cover, then nothing else until your skin dries out again or really absorbs all the moisturizer.
My husband thought I was going bonkers, and I felt like it too. Everything I've read on this blog describes me. I've sworn to lather on the sunscreen everytime I'm in the sun now.
I would take childbirth over the pain of the damn sunburn itch.
Benadryl was the only thing that helped me. ugh and it still only took the edge off.
I just got burned saturday4/21/12 (monday 4/23/12 now)I was doing fine starting to lose my redness, pain subsided last night to where i could sleep beyond fine. I wake up and i'm totally fine, Yay!! it's going away... to my disbelief I run outside to run my grandmother something the air gets on my sunburn and it started mildly itching on my shoulders. So as I'm running back inside I start itching my shoulders, then the unthinkable, everywhere I am burned ( arms, shoulders, neck) start itching like crazy! I start freaking out to my mom saying I needed to get into a baby oil bath to soften my dry skin up, while in the bath it was the most calming feeling ever, no itch... Right as i get out of the bath after about 20 minutes I dry off, my arms still itching I coat Aloe vera lotion all over my shoulders, arms, neck. I took 3 Ibuprofens and i'm now sitting here reading all the stories and its calming the itch a little bit, This is an unbearable pain no one understands unless they've been through it. Hopefully it doesn't last to much longer!
This is kind of an old blog post, but I must leave a comment because it helped me soooo much when I was suffering THE ITCH.
I'm fair skinned and have had my share of sunburns in my time. The burn and peeling itch always suck but nothing absolutely Unbearable. I spent a Sunday by the pool during peak sun hours and got a pretty bad burn on my face, chest and shoulders, stomach and my legs. First 48 hours go by and I deal with the usual burn pain. Fine, I put on aloe, lotion, cool shower. I've done this routine before. Then at about noon on tuesday, all the sudden, my legs start to itch.
This itch is not a regular itch. It's intense, painful, burning, immediate, stabbing, like a million fire ants under my skin kind of itch. Nothing helped relieve it. Lotion, aloe, a shower, ice, all seemed to make it worse! By 2pm, I was in tears, screaming, pounding the walls. I found this post and felt relieved to know I wasn't dying but I felt like I was. In fact, I wished I could have skinned my legs off at some points.
What helped: after the initial itch started, I took 2 Advil and 2 Benadryl. That seemed to take a bit of edge off. I was also mixing cortisone cream with aloe and puttting it on my legs. Not sure if it helped or if the idea of it did, but I think it was better. I stayed under blankets as the air aggravated it.
If you're reading this because this is happening to you, I'm so sorry. I know how you feel and I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. Remember that it's not forever, even though it feels like it, and in about a full 48 hours, you'll feel better. I'm now about 3 days after the initial itch and I'm a million times better, though I'm being extra careful to not do anything that might irritate my legs. Try to sleep as much as possible. You're not going crazy and you're not going to die. You will be ok. It just takes about 2 days.
Lesson learned: I will be a pale, but oh so happy, girl for the rest of my life. Sunblock is my new best friend!
This blog post has made my day bearable. I got the itch when I woke up this morning and I was considering suicie. Ok, that's extreme but I'm sure most of you will know the feeling.
I took the tips on board and got some Aloe Vera. It helped but for the moments after I applied it I couldn't handle life.
But now a few hours later it is bearable and now the itch is minimal.
I think what has really helped is the distraction that reading these comments has given me.
Thank you to everyone who has commented! You have all saved my life!
If you want to read my experience, then please do.
Am going through this right now and quite frankly, reading these comments have helped a ton. It happened two days after I got burned (which wasn't really even that severe of a burn, or so I thought) after I threw some body wash on my chest in the shower.
This is the second time this happened to me (I'm 33), the other time coming in fourth grade when my poor grandmother was so freaked out by how I was acting that she actually took me to the ER. Memories of that started coming back as the itching got worse and worse.
I went in and out of the shower a few times, rubbed ice cubes on my check and used lotion with aloe in it. The actual lotion made it worse, but the other two things helped temporarily enough to allow me to drive to the store and grab some aloe. That didn't work either, just made it worse, and I thought I was a psychopath because aloe was supposed to be the cure-all. That's when I read this forum and realized I wasn't alone.
It's been about four hours and it's subsided from being absolutely unbearable to allowing me to function somewhat. I'm on my fourth glass of water right now and I'm just concentrating on not scratching. One thing that did help was pressing myself face down against my bed. That provided some relief when it started flaring up again. Also took ibuprofen.
Last night was crazy unbearable. I was putting everything I could think of on my back, broke down and stood under the shower stream, popping Benadryl and Ibuprofen, screaming into a towel, crying, etc. I eventually took a Xanax to try to calm down and help not move, and even that wasn't enough.
I've had first & second degree burns on the back and shoulders when I was a kid and had to be taken to the walk-in clinic because of THE WRETCHED ITCH. Dr. prescribed Palmer's Cocoa Butter liberally many times a day (warning, you may hate the smell of chocolate for a LONG time after). I can't remember what else, probably Benadryl.
This time, the night of day 2 after the burn, I woke up from THE WRETCHED ITCH. Next day, walk-in clinic again. Got a Prednisone 10mg steroid taper pack (6-5-4-3-2-1 pill regimen) which seems to be helping a bit, and they recommended Benadryl or any other antihistamine. If you are taking Prednisone, BE CAREFUL taking Ibuprofen as compounding it can cause a GI bleed. So far, it's now bearable.
I'm using Cetaphil lotion for the burn still, but it doesn't necessarily help with the itch because IT IS NERVE DAMAGE. Your nerves are freaking out, that's what's causing the twitching and why scratching just makes it worse.
Lotion up for the skin, antihistamine like crazy for the itching, drink lots of water, and try to stay still. (Optional: curse the sky, and drink some liquor.) SOLIDARITY, SUNBURN ITCH BROTHERS AND SISTERS.
After 4 Days Of The Itch I SURVIVED!!!! You will too ! The cure is to go to the ER as soon as possible!!!! They will give you pain pills that will kill the itch 90% !! Goodluck to evetyone out there who is going through this!!!
Preparation H.Hemorrhoid cream
sunday noon Okinawa snorkeling no sunscreen.
liberally applied after sun burn relief
monday repeat the after sun gel
tues 2 hours before the end of work...slight itch
30 minuits later trying to stay in one place failing
work ends rush home to jump into a milk bath (the bubble bath) relief for 30 min. get out apply lots and lots of after sun crying like a sissy start looking for remedies witch hazel only thing in the medicine cabinet
relieves only when moist find this blog run to store to get recommended products not working have friend assist application of after sun gel and yell every time I try to itch works
i thank everyone on this site I would not have relief if not for this
THANK YOU
Wow! Three years and the comments are still coming!?!?!?
Thank you all for posting. Luckily, I tan easily and I have never felt the wrath of the demon itch. I was, however, very concerned when my boyfriend got out of the shower today and went into this freak-show, whining, moaning, shaking and yelling frenzy. I almost called 911 in fear of him going into anaphylaxis, until I realized that his breathing was ok. When he was finally able to explain what was going on, I thought "Really? Itching has a grown man almost in tears? Wuss...". So, I break out the trusty iPhone and google "intense sunburn itch" and here I am. If it weren't for all of your posts, my poor, itch-crazed, boyfriend may have committed a murder-suicide tonight. He's snoring his ass off now after 3 Benadryl's, 2 Excedrin Migraine's and a shot of Vodka. I also got the Benadryl spray for him to try later if it comes back.
Altho I have no idea what you all are experiencing, I have total empathy and I hope you all find relief soon!
XOXO
I have just been through my first encounter with sunburn itch and I can honestly say it's the worst thing I've ever experienced. I didn't go through all of the comments so I'm not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but the only solution I found that did any good was the combination of two oral antihistamines. You need to get at 1st generation H1 (Benadryl/diphenhydramine or Chlortrimeton/chlorpheniramine) and an H2 such as Zantac/ranitidine. take 25-50mg benadryl or 4mg chlorpheniramine and 300 mg ranitidine for adults, stand under cold running water for a shitty 1/2 hour until it kicks in. good luck
It feels like i am trying to get out of my own skin. my back is on fire but nothing i do will put it out. i want someone to knock me out. don't scratch it or it will get 10 times worse. just dont move. this is terrible
damn this is the worst feeling ever, I came home today and its start to itch, I put some aloe but it made it worst ,I took a shower again , and now I drunk a half gallon water .My plan Is to get fucking high and go biking , maybe its gonna help... :) :(
My husband survived the sunburn itch!! We went to the Lake and he since he is a hard working farmer/cowboy, he decided that he wanted to get a tan on his extra bright white chest, back and legs. Good Luck right?! He wore no sunscreen and was in the sun for about 7 hours straight. Well, 2 days later, after being unable to move and miserable with a sunburn for 2 days, the dreaded itch began. He started rolling on the carpet naked, jumping in and out of the cold shower, panicking and going crazy. I had never seen that side of him in the 5 years I have known him. After 7 hours of the itch, 3 doses of benadryl, aloe gel, lidocaine spray and lots of cold bathes, we went to the ER....yes, the Emergency Room. We are both nurses and have never seen anyone in the ER for an Itch. I wanted him to go because I though he was crazy. First the doc gave him some cortisone cream, which actually made it worse. He couldn't hold still so he went out to the parking lot and found a chained link fence to scratch his back on...What the? At that point we were hoping the doc would just give him some ativan (calms crazy people down) but he gave him hydrazine which calmed him down enough to sleep...FINALLY.
Good luck to anyone who gets this, and even more, good luck to their support, because they need luck just as much.
this is my second time with the "itch". I knew the horror that awaited me when I first felt it so I promptly took 8 advils. Its no that bad now but I was feeling pretty lightheaded before. I now relized that this could cause internal bleeding and kidney failure but I figured its totally worth the risk. I'll let you guys know if I die or something.
I've had stomach viruses which led to horrible nausea and vomiting, broken wrists, cuts, et cetera. Those are nothing compared to The Itch. I am fairly sure this itch is the worst physical feeling I've ever had to experience thus far in my life.
I've had it multiple times in my life, once from an understandably bad sunburn, but now this latest bout has come from what I thought was a mild inoffensive pink burn from what I thought was a very short time in the sun (under half an hour).
DO NOT TAKE A SHOWER! I've finally concluded this is what causes the Satan Itch to explode tenfold because the water pressure basically irritates the skin further.
Basically your burnt skin is extremely tight and dry right now from the burn and is slowly beginning to wrest itself to health through regenerating nerve endings and cells. It's healing and it's a bitch.
DRINK TONS OF WATER ALL DAY. Benadryl every few hours. I'm laying here on my stomach typing this, trying to embrace the pain, to become it...
AGHHHH4208209203801ljfsjl;a;
try corn huskers lotion, the oil free kind. i used a half a bottle of aloe and it never even helped. a good thick layer of corn huskers lotion has subsided the itch for the past 10 minutes thinking about it does not help. any thing you can do to keep yourself calm seems to do the trick. Calming herbs seem to help with that as well..
I wonder if this has something to do with global warming.
No, seriously. I remember getting far deeper and redder sunburns as a kid in the 90s and never had to go through this itching shit. Maybe those UV rays are getting stronger and heavier each day. No wonder there's so many cases of skin cancer.
Hi, this is the anon from May 15, 2012 8:34 AM:
Day 2 of the Itch. Am taking gabapentin by prescription from my doctor. Doesn't seem to really change anything, but I suppose it's better than nothing. Still have these jabs and needles every so often in certain spots (shoulderblades, small of lower back), and I have to exercise extreme self control to not scratch any of them. End up doing a wiggle dance in my chair all day; I can't lay down in any comfortable position as it stretches the back and causes more itching.
Still need to wear a shirt as this keeps the air from reigniting my entire back. The shirt so far has brought the most relief! Wear a soft, slightly tight cottony shirt folks!
Still wondering if the UV index was considered high on Sunday (13th of May) as this is probably the culprit. It also explains why I have this itching even with the fairly mild pink sunburn from that day. I have had worse sunburns, redder, more painful etc while in California and have not had to deal with the itching.
Hopefully the worst is over after this new day of itchiness.
So glad I found this! I had a sunburn 3 weeks ago, and after the skin peeling finished, the itch began. It's only one shoulder that itches, weird, but it's horrible! My shoulder is bright red and itch cream does nothing positive for it. I will try some of the things mentioned here. Thanks.
It's the 8 advil guy an I just wanna let you know I didnt die and that my itch was relieved to a tolerable level. However I wouldn't recomend doing this too often. The 45 minutes it took to kick in though were still hell though.
This is the anon from May 16, 2012 4:33 AM:
Day 4. Day 2 was definitely the worst, and yesterday was hopefully the beginning of the end. Am able to sleep and stretch the back, lay down etc. The air causes a slight tingle at certain spots, but the skin is on its way to being moisturized naturally. There appears to be the start of only mild peeling. Disturbed by comments saying the itch remained even after the peeling. Still haven't taken a shower yet though haha!
I have never before experienced sunburn itch, and I've been going to the tanning salon since I was 14. But yesterday I was in the bed trying to get myself a healthy glow for my wedding(which is in 3 days!) and after I got out I felt that I had burnt my back and butt a little( I always tan naked), so when I got home I asked my boyfriend to put aloe on my back. BIG MISTAKE. This is when the craziness started. At first, as he was rubbing the aloe all over my back and ass I was moaning with relief, but as it began to dry I realized something felt horribly wrong. I had a little itch on my back, so I scratched it, which sent off another itch, and another, and another... and before I knew it fire ants were crawling all over my back and butt. Flash forward to me laying facedown on my bed, butt naked, screaming at my boyfriend to keep itching me, while he is looking like he is having cold feet about our upcoming wedding due to the fact that his future wife has just turned into a madwoman.
I thought maybe I was having an allergic reaction to the aloe, since this was the first time I had used it, so I got into the shower to try and wash it off, and I finally got relief. Until about 5 minutes after I got out of the shower, when it started again. ANOTHER HUGE MISTAKE. I wish I had found this thread before I tried the aloe or shower, since most people say that these things only intensified the itch. Damn that aloe, I was perfectly fine before I used it.
After the itch started again, I tried not to scratch, since that seemed to make it worse, and somebody on this thread suggested taking ibuprofin and benadryl, which I did, along with a sleeping pill, and I also used benadryl lotion, which helped stop the itch for a sufficient amount of time for me to fall asleep. When I woke up, my back and butt still felt itchy but I did not touch it at all, and I HAVE to shower because tonight is my rehearsal dinner, but I'm really really scared that it will set off the itch again. DEAR GOD I hope this is gone before I have to walk down the aisle.
Chug water until you feel like you're going to puke. That's what I did last night and I think it helped hydrate the burn by this morning.
If my boyfriend laughs/shakes his head or tells me I'm exaggerating, while this crazy sunburn itches to the point of shaking, twitching and crying one more time I'm afraid I might hurt him. Badly. AHHHH!
Shoot me please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG EVERY 2 HOURS ITCHY, I ITCH IT HURTS I STOP IT ITCHES
I had this and found what helped was preparation H cooling gel- yes, the stuff made for hemerroids. It's witch hazel and works wonders and dries fast. Plus it doesn't stink like regular prep H. Can even slap some cortisone over it if you don't wanna wait for it to start working. Also soaking a washcloth in witch hazel and laying it over the spot does wonders- even better if you're in front of a fan or AC!
It makes me sad that I'm at the end of the comments section, as I'm on day three of the itch (day 5 since the sunburn). Day 1 of the itch was the worst, I had spent all day working in the yard with a shirt on, and when I got home needed a shower. Sitting on the couch I realized that the evil itch was setting in as I'd had it once before several years ago. I thought I remembered a cold bath finally giving me relief that time so I tried it, did NOT work!! In an itchy craze I jumped into the shower and turned it as hot as I could stand. Sweet relief! It burned but the burn was much preferable to the itch as I'm sure you can all attest to. The problem was that the relief only lasted a short time after the water had stopped hitting the burned area (my entire back and shoulders). I tried several things, nothing worked including having my mom put aloe on my back so every time it was back into the shower for relief. Finally I decided to get out and put a shirt on. I then curled into a quasi fetal position and tried to distract myself using my phone all the while telling myself there is no itch in a Morpheus like fashion. That's when I found this blog. Just reading through this blog provided the comfort and relief I needed to survive that first day. A cocktail of Benadryl, Motrin, and Tylenol pm helped take the edge off but made my digestive system deejay really weird. I woke up the morning and it felt like all my insides were tight. The worst part is that the itch, after being manageable on day 2 is back with a horrific vengeance, im thinking maybe from the day of yard work I'm double dipping, any ideas?
The sunburn itch from hell has compelled me to tell my story, and to share with you my personal remedy for the worst thing I have ever experienced. I bathed by back for 20 minutes and Ive burnt myself many times in the past but never before have I endured the sunburn itch fest which soon ensued. Two days after the sunburn I began to get a slight itching sensation, this quickly escalated into what will be the most memorable experience in my life. Ive found it very difficult to find the words to describe the itchy bitchy hell that had me flipping about like a fish out of water in undescribable agony. After careful consideration, its like a thousand needles constantly being poked into your back whilst a bunson burner scorches it all over. The pain of these sensations is the worst imaginable, now couple this with the craziest, deepest itches you can comprehend - thousands of them at the same time which are never ending. Imagine a normal itch when it gets to the point when unscratched you simply have to scratch it to relieve it, its lovely when that itch goes away. Now imagine a thousand of these itches all at that point but no matter what you do they remain at that point, its enough to send you insane! The itching coupled with the pain equals an intorable, inconceivable, gut-wrentching, mind numbing, body spasming, relentless mascarade of misery which had me thinking that burning in the eternal flames of hell can be the only thing that comes anywhere close to this sensation.
As I cart-wheeled around the apartment I managed to google sunburn itch and came across this blog. I instantly tried some of the advice. My girlfriend went to the only local hyper market and found some witch hazel gel with aloe vera. First she rubbed ice cubes all over my back, this numbed some of the insessant burning and reduced some of the itching, but only temporarily, as soon as all the ice was gone the god forsaken itching was back and with vengence, it laughed at my pathetic attempts to stop it with ice and taught me a lesson by increasing the misery ten fold. Next, the witch hazel gel - she smothered it all over my back, but this only seemed to make it worse. I screamed at her for other products she may have. "Anything, I'll try anything" but she insisted there was nothing else. We wet a towel and placed it over my back. This appeared to reduce the pain by about 10%, I had to ride out about 3 hours of explicit agony. I was losing my mind but soon it began to subside. The next morning the itching began to rear its ugly head. I couldn't handle any more of the unimaginable pain but sure enough I was soon flipping around like a mad man with a hornets nest on his head. Another day of this had me thinking that throwing myself off the balcony would be the best solution to end this agonising abomination. Nothing I had tried the day before had helped so again I screamed at my girlfried "ANYTHING, I'll try anything". 2 minutes later she pulls out a tube of athletes foot cream - Daktarin. She smothered me in the sh*t. For five minutes the burning itch from hell was relentless but then, oooh.... in quite unbelievable fashion the pain began to subside and soon enough it was practically gone all together. Bliss. I couldn't believe it, and neither could she (I also couldn't believe she didnt present me with this miracle cream sooner than she did!). The Daktarin cream completely sorted out all of the problems within five minutes dead (five more minutes of the pain and I would have been dead). I was kissing the tube and raised it in the air to give it the praise it deserved. So there we have it people - the miracle sunburn itch cure - DAKTARIN cream for athletes foot. Never have I been so pleased that my girlfriend suffers from athletes foot. Good luck to everyone who has to experience this excruciating suicidal itch that only a power more senior than Satan himself could have concocted. Try the Daktarin and trust me this sh*t may just save your life... let me know if it works for you too :)
I have sunburnt arms but my lefft shoulder is all blistered and just under that that mall area of skin is soo itchy ive tried everything to make it stop!!!
I have the same problem. Living in hawaii is not the biggest help for me...
The only thing that i find that helps it is to try to bear the itching, dont think about it, and to put on some aloe gel. ALOT OF IT.
Although that has helped subdue the main part of it, im still going crazy because of it, and its literally bring me to tears! I just want to scream.
Hope benadryl is over the counter, will go for some now! Thanks
I just got done with an episode of the extreme itch. my back was not peeling at all and still isn't. I was bareley itching when I had my mother put on sun screen (usually works). Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad choice. It all of the sudden got a little bit worse, so what do I do? I get my back scratcher. When that doesnt work I started rolling in the floor like a dog with fleas. That made it even worse. My mom then makes the suggestion to take a shower to get the sunscreen off. Thats when this guy, while arguing that it wouldnt work, went to take a shower, stripping all the way. i get in the shower and try scrubbing. BAD IDEA! Instead I stood under the hot water and the itch started dissappearing. Long story short (too late, I know) heat is the key. I know, heat on a burn, crazy right?
USE HEAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am suffering from severe itch and insanity. Everything I try works only for a few minutes of mental relief. I have to return to work tomorrow in a steel mill where the temp. reaches 140 degrees in some places while I'm wearing fire retardant clothing. Gonna be a long long day.
Got pretty sunburnt over the weekend and had no itch when i woke up this morning then out f nowhere was bombarded with itching pain! Took a burning hot shower and some benadryl. Worked very well. Itch came back aain later so i applied aloe and itch is horrible now. Hope i will be able to sleep
The best thing to do is to not scratch the itch. If you do scratch it the best thing that worked for me is a fan and don't move at all. Resist the urge to scratch!!
I got a sunburn from laying on the deck in the sun last sunday afternoon. Didn't feel anything burning till the moment my girlfriend told me we we're both red as a lobster.
It started to hurt in the evening and had to put aloe vera on me every 2 hours during the night and the following day.
Today tuesday morning the sunburn isn't as bad as it was, and I read on the web that taking a bath with vinegar would help. After a 15 minute soak and a 2 minute shower I stepped out the shower and the CRAZIEST ITCH EVER started!
With all the cursing and balding my fists and screaming for the next half hour I was going wild! I put on Aloe Vera and Vaseline creme with vitamin D and E .. sat in front of the AC and it didn't go away at all. So apply'd another layer of Aloe Vera and went back to my spot and started to reading the comments above... I calmed down.
I put on a t-shirt and put a silk scarf over my forehead (burned as well) and writing this comment. Still feel the itch but I'm not going wild anymore.
I also took 3 advils when I was freaking out, maybe those help too.. who knows. And drinking a lot of water!
Hope this feeling won't return.. EVER
I have the strongest sympathies for anybody who had this itch on there back it must be horrible! I currently have this itch on my whole left arm and the pain literally drives you to insanity that Ive never felt before! The remedies above do work however after a while I took 2 ibuprofens and put on a thick layer of aloe vera with a fan blowing on it. Hope this helps!
What really sucks is when you get sunburn itch while the sunburn is still in the "touch = pain" phase.
Can't scratch at all.
The best thing I know for back/chest burns is thanks to the floor a/c vents.
Get a pillow with a really smooth, soft cover and put it over the vent and lay on top of it. Flipping the pillow every now and then.
The cooled pillow lessens/removes the itch and the pain at the same time.
So comfortable and easy on your burn.
So, 3 days ago I decide to go swimming with my friends. We have fun, but towards the end, i notice a red sun burn that causes quite substantial amounts of pain. It's annoying, but i can live with it, so long as i put some aloe on it.
How wrong i was.
Whether it was an allergy from the sun, or the aloe, all i knew was the UNGODLY HELL itches that occured right after I left the shower for a second time. Not even the hot water of the shower could counteract the itching i had on my chest.
Fortunately, i put teabags on my chest that quickly made the itching pains subside. I was quite happy that this was over and done with.
How wrong was I.
About 6 hours later, I felt an itch on my back. It felt like it wasn't on a sun burnt area, and so I scratched it.
How dumb was I.
I took a bath in my trunks, using tea, baking soda, vinegar, lotions, oils, and all of these things to remedy the HELL ITCH. I am not joking when I say that I was crying and shrieking at the unavoidable pain. It feels as if you are being burnt by inextinguishable fire. Surprisingly, the bath remedy momentarily worked, and I was glad that pizza was being made, so that I would distract myself from the itch came it again.
About an hour later, I WAS THE MOST HYSTERICAL PERSON YOU'D HAVE EVER KNOWN! Fiery pains erupted through my back, and not even tea could stop the horrendous, terrifying pain in my back.
We frantically tried everything we could to stop this unbearable atrocity, finding surprising relief in vinegar doused paper towels.
For those of you struggling, here are some tips.
1. Keep your mind focused off of the itches, this is difficult, but try thinking of something exciting or cool along with it.
2. Take deep breaths, and try to sleep as much as possible. Lowering your blood pressure will keep it from rushing to the sun burnt areas more.
3. Use benadryl and tylenol at every possible oppurtunity, as these are major healing factors.
4. Drink lots of water. The itch you feel is either your body mass producing the cells harmed in the sun burn, or your skin peeling to get rid of the burn. A combination of the two is even still solvable by keeping water flowing.
5. NEVER SCRATCH THE ITCH, YOU'RE BASICALLY EGGING IT ON WHEN YOU DO THAT!
6. Don't shower while under the effects of the itch. The hard water mixed with heat or coolness only grants temporary relief, but actually wipes away the oils that can keep your skin moist.
7. Don't use creams, even the moisturizing ones do not get rid of the itch.
8. Try to keep laughing or sympathizing with others, even on this blog.
9. A good remedy to use is to take strips of toilet paper and soak them in vinegar. This may initially make it worse, but it slowly makes its way back up to normal itch, and in most cases, takes it away completely.
Good luck to you all. And to the strugglers, I can feel your pain.
So, 3 days ago I decide to go swimming with my friends. We have fun, but towards the end, i notice a red sun burn that causes quite substantial amounts of pain. It's annoying, but i can live with it, so long as i put some aloe on it.
How wrong i was.
Whether it was an allergy from the sun, or the aloe, all i knew was the UNGODLY HELL itches that occured right after I left the shower for a second time. Not even the hot water of the shower could counteract the itching i had on my chest.
Fortunately, i put teabags on my chest that quickly made the itching pains subside. I was quite happy that this was over and done with.
How wrong was I.
About 6 hours later, I felt an itch on my back. It felt like it wasn't on a sun burnt area, and so I scratched it.
How dumb was I.
I took a bath in my trunks, using tea, baking soda, vinegar, lotions, oils, and all of these things to remedy the HELL ITCH. I am not joking when I say that I was crying and shrieking at the unavoidable pain. It feels as if you are being burnt by inextinguishable fire. Surprisingly, the bath remedy momentarily worked, and I was glad that pizza was being made, so that I would distract myself from the itch came it again.
About an hour later, I WAS THE MOST HYSTERICAL PERSON YOU'D HAVE EVER KNOWN! Fiery pains erupted through my back, and not even tea could stop the horrendous, terrifying pain in my back.
We frantically tried everything we could to stop this unbearable atrocity, finding surprising relief in vinegar doused paper towels.
For those of you struggling, here are some tips.
1. Keep your mind focused off of the itches, this is difficult, but try thinking of something exciting or cool along with it.
2. Take deep breaths, and try to sleep as much as possible. Lowering your blood pressure will keep it from rushing to the sun burnt areas more.
3. Use benadryl and tylenol at every possible oppurtunity, as these are major healing factors.
4. Drink lots of water. The itch you feel is either your body mass producing the cells harmed in the sun burn, or your skin peeling to get rid of the burn. A combination of the two is even still solvable by keeping water flowing.
5. NEVER SCRATCH THE ITCH, YOU'RE BASICALLY EGGING IT ON WHEN YOU DO THAT!
6. Don't shower while under the effects of the itch. The hard water mixed with heat or coolness only grants temporary relief, but actually wipes away the oils that can keep your skin moist.
7. Don't use creams, even the moisturizing ones do not get rid of the itch.
8. Try to keep laughing or sympathizing with others, even on this blog.
9. A good remedy to use is to take strips of toilet paper and soak them in vinegar. This may initially make it worse, but it slowly makes its way back up to normal itch, and in most cases, takes it away completely.
Good luck to you all. And to the strugglers, I can feel your pain.
So, 3 days ago I decide to go swimming with my friends. We have fun, but towards the end, i notice a red sun burn that causes quite substantial amounts of pain. It's annoying, but i can live with it, so long as i put some aloe on it.
How wrong i was.
Whether it was an allergy from the sun, or the aloe, all i knew was the UNGODLY HELL itches that occured right after I left the shower for a second time. Not even the hot water of the shower could counteract the itching i had on my chest.
Fortunately, i put teabags on my chest that quickly made the itching pains subside. I was quite happy that this was over and done with.
How wrong was I.
About 6 hours later, I felt an itch on my back. It felt like it wasn't on a sun burnt area, and so I scratched it.
How dumb was I.
I took a bath in my trunks, using tea, baking soda, vinegar, lotions, oils, and all of these things to remedy the HELL ITCH. I am not joking when I say that I was crying and shrieking at the unavoidable pain. It feels as if you are being burnt by inextinguishable fire. Surprisingly, the bath remedy momentarily worked, and I was glad that pizza was being made, so that I would distract myself from the itch came it again.
About an hour later, I WAS THE MOST HYSTERICAL PERSON YOU'D HAVE EVER KNOWN! Fiery pains erupted through my back, and not even tea could stop the horrendous, terrifying pain in my back.
We frantically tried everything we could to stop this unbearable atrocity, finding surprising relief in vinegar doused paper towels.
For those of you struggling, here are some tips.
1. Keep your mind focused off of the itches, this is difficult, but try thinking of something exciting or cool along with it.
2. Take deep breaths, and try to sleep as much as possible. Lowering your blood pressure will keep it from rushing to the sun burnt areas more.
3. Use benadryl and tylenol at every possible oppurtunity, as these are major healing factors.
4. Drink lots of water. The itch you feel is either your body mass producing the cells harmed in the sun burn, or your skin peeling to get rid of the burn. A combination of the two is even still solvable by keeping water flowing.
5. NEVER SCRATCH THE ITCH, YOU'RE BASICALLY EGGING IT ON WHEN YOU DO THAT!
6. Don't shower while under the effects of the itch. The hard water mixed with heat or coolness only grants temporary relief, but actually wipes away the oils that can keep your skin moist.
7. Don't use creams, even the moisturizing ones do not get rid of the itch.
8. Try to keep laughing or sympathizing with others, even on this blog.
9. A good remedy to use is to take strips of toilet paper and soak them in vinegar. This may initially make it worse, but it slowly makes its way back up to normal itch, and in most cases, takes it away completely.
Good luck to you all. And to the strugglers, I can feel your pain.
So, 3 days ago I decide to go swimming with my friends. We have fun, but towards the end, i notice a red sun burn that causes quite substantial amounts of pain. It's annoying, but i can live with it, so long as i put some aloe on it.
How wrong i was.
Whether it was an allergy from the sun, or the aloe, all i knew was the UNGODLY HELL itches that occured right after I left the shower for a second time. Not even the hot water of the shower could counteract the itching i had on my chest.
Fortunately, i put teabags on my chest that quickly made the itching pains subside. I was quite happy that this was over and done with.
How wrong was I.
About 6 hours later, I felt an itch on my back. It felt like it wasn't on a sun burnt area, and so I scratched it.
How dumb was I.
I took a bath in my trunks, using tea, baking soda, vinegar, lotions, oils, and all of these things to remedy the HELL ITCH. I am not joking when I say that I was crying and shrieking at the unavoidable pain. It feels as if you are being burnt by inextinguishable fire. Surprisingly, the bath remedy momentarily worked, and I was glad that pizza was being made, so that I would distract myself from the itch came it again.
About an hour later, I WAS THE MOST HYSTERICAL PERSON YOU'D HAVE EVER KNOWN! Fiery pains erupted through my back, and not even tea could stop the horrendous, terrifying pain in my back.
We frantically tried everything we could to stop this unbearable atrocity, finding surprising relief in vinegar doused paper towels.
For those of you struggling, here are some tips.
1. Keep your mind focused off of the itches, this is difficult, but try thinking of something exciting or cool along with it.
2. Take deep breaths, and try to sleep as much as possible. Lowering your blood pressure will keep it from rushing to the sun burnt areas more.
3. Use benadryl and tylenol at every possible oppurtunity, as these are major healing factors.
4. Drink lots of water. The itch you feel is either your body mass producing the cells harmed in the sun burn, or your skin peeling to get rid of the burn. A combination of the two is even still solvable by keeping water flowing.
5. NEVER SCRATCH THE ITCH, YOU'RE BASICALLY EGGING IT ON WHEN YOU DO THAT!
6. Don't shower while under the effects of the itch. The hard water mixed with heat or coolness only grants temporary relief, but actually wipes away the oils that can keep your skin moist.
7. Don't use creams, even the moisturizing ones do not get rid of the itch.
8. Try to keep laughing or sympathizing with others, even on this blog.
9. A good remedy to use is to take strips of toilet paper and soak them in vinegar. This may initially make it worse, but it slowly makes its way back up to normal itch, and in most cases, takes it away completely.
Good luck to you all. And to the strugglers, I can feel your pain.
So, 3 days ago I decide to go swimming with my friends. We have fun, but towards the end, i notice a red sun burn that causes quite substantial amounts of pain. It's annoying, but i can live with it, so long as i put some aloe on it.
How wrong i was.
Whether it was an allergy from the sun, or the aloe, all i knew was the UNGODLY HELL itches that occured right after I left the shower for a second time. Not even the hot water of the shower could counteract the itching i had on my chest.
Fortunately, i put teabags on my chest that quickly made the itching pains subside. I was quite happy that this was over and done with.
How wrong was I.
About 6 hours later, I felt an itch on my back. It felt like it wasn't on a sun burnt area, and so I scratched it.
How dumb was I.
I took a bath in my trunks, using tea, baking soda, vinegar, lotions, oils, and all of these things to remedy the HELL ITCH. I am not joking when I say that I was crying and shrieking at the unavoidable pain. It feels as if you are being burnt by inextinguishable fire. Surprisingly, the bath remedy momentarily worked, and I was glad that pizza was being made, so that I would distract myself from the itch came it again.
About an hour later, I WAS THE MOST HYSTERICAL PERSON YOU'D HAVE EVER KNOWN! Fiery pains erupted through my back, and not even tea could stop the horrendous, terrifying pain in my back.
We frantically tried everything we could to stop this unbearable atrocity, finding surprising relief in vinegar doused paper towels.
For those of you struggling, here are some tips.
1. Keep your mind focused off of the itches, this is difficult, but try thinking of something exciting or cool along with it.
2. Take deep breaths, and try to sleep as much as possible. Lowering your blood pressure will keep it from rushing to the sun burnt areas more.
3. Use benadryl and tylenol at every possible oppurtunity, as these are major healing factors.
4. Drink lots of water. The itch you feel is either your body mass producing the cells harmed in the sun burn, or your skin peeling to get rid of the burn. A combination of the two is even still solvable by keeping water flowing.
5. NEVER SCRATCH THE ITCH, YOU'RE BASICALLY EGGING IT ON WHEN YOU DO THAT!
6. Don't shower while under the effects of the itch. The hard water mixed with heat or coolness only grants temporary relief, but actually wipes away the oils that can keep your skin moist.
7. Don't use creams, even the moisturizing ones do not get rid of the itch.
8. Try to keep laughing or sympathizing with others, even on this blog.
9. A good remedy to use is to take strips of toilet paper and soak them in vinegar. This may initially make it worse, but it slowly makes its way back up to normal itch, and in most cases, takes it away completely.
Good luck to you all. And to the strugglers, I can feel your pain.
So, 3 days ago I decide to go swimming with my friends. We have fun, but towards the end, i notice a red sun burn that causes quite substantial amounts of pain. It's annoying, but i can live with it, so long as i put some aloe on it.
How wrong i was.
Whether it was an allergy from the sun, or the aloe, all i knew was the UNGODLY HELL itches that occured right after I left the shower for a second time. Not even the hot water of the shower could counteract the itching i had on my chest.
Fortunately, i put teabags on my chest that quickly made the itching pains subside. I was quite happy that this was over and done with.
How wrong was I.
About 6 hours later, I felt an itch on my back. It felt like it wasn't on a sun burnt area, and so I scratched it.
How dumb was I.
I took a bath in my trunks, using tea, baking soda, vinegar, lotions, oils, and all of these things to remedy the HELL ITCH. I am not joking when I say that I was crying and shrieking at the unavoidable pain. It feels as if you are being burnt by inextinguishable fire. Surprisingly, the bath remedy momentarily worked, and I was glad that pizza was being made, so that I would distract myself from the itch came it again.
About an hour later, I WAS THE MOST HYSTERICAL PERSON YOU'D HAVE EVER KNOWN! Fiery pains erupted through my back, and not even tea could stop the horrendous, terrifying pain in my back.
We frantically tried everything we could to stop this unbearable atrocity, finding surprising relief in vinegar doused paper towels.
For those of you struggling, here are some tips.
1. Keep your mind focused off of the itches, this is difficult, but try thinking of something exciting or cool along with it.
2. Take deep breaths, and try to sleep as much as possible. Lowering your blood pressure will keep it from rushing to the sun burnt areas more.
3. Use benadryl and tylenol at every possible oppurtunity, as these are major healing factors.
4. Drink lots of water. The itch you feel is either your body mass producing the cells harmed in the sun burn, or your skin peeling to get rid of the burn. A combination of the two is even still solvable by keeping water flowing.
5. NEVER SCRATCH THE ITCH, YOU'RE BASICALLY EGGING IT ON WHEN YOU DO THAT!
6. Don't shower while under the effects of the itch. The hard water mixed with heat or coolness only grants temporary relief, but actually wipes away the oils that can keep your skin moist.
7. Don't use creams, even the moisturizing ones do not get rid of the itch.
8. Try to keep laughing or sympathizing with others, even on this blog.
9. A good remedy to use is to take strips of toilet paper and soak them in vinegar. This may initially make it worse, but it slowly makes its way back up to normal itch, and in most cases, takes it away completely.
Good luck to you all. And to the strugglers, I can feel your pain.
So, 3 days ago I decide to go swimming with my friends. We have fun, but towards the end, i notice a red sun burn that causes quite substantial amounts of pain. It's annoying, but i can live with it, so long as i put some aloe on it.
How wrong i was.
Whether it was an allergy from the sun, or the aloe, all i knew was the UNGODLY HELL itches that occured right after I left the shower for a second time. Not even the hot water of the shower could counteract the itching i had on my chest.
Fortunately, i put teabags on my chest that quickly made the itching pains subside. I was quite happy that this was over and done with.
How wrong was I.
About 6 hours later, I felt an itch on my back. It felt like it wasn't on a sun burnt area, and so I scratched it.
How dumb was I.
I took a bath in my trunks, using tea, baking soda, vinegar, lotions, oils, and all of these things to remedy the HELL ITCH. I am not joking when I say that I was crying and shrieking at the unavoidable pain. It feels as if you are being burnt by inextinguishable fire. Surprisingly, the bath remedy momentarily worked, and I was glad that pizza was being made, so that I would distract myself from the itch came it again.
About an hour later, I WAS THE MOST HYSTERICAL PERSON YOU'D HAVE EVER KNOWN! Fiery pains erupted through my back, and not even tea could stop the horrendous, terrifying pain in my back.
We frantically tried everything we could to stop this unbearable atrocity, finding surprising relief in vinegar doused paper towels.
For those of you struggling, here are some tips.
1. Keep your mind focused off of the itches, this is difficult, but try thinking of something exciting or cool along with it.
2. Take deep breaths, and try to sleep as much as possible. Lowering your blood pressure will keep it from rushing to the sun burnt areas more.
3. Use benadryl and tylenol at every possible oppurtunity, as these are major healing factors.
4. Drink lots of water. The itch you feel is either your body mass producing the cells harmed in the sun burn, or your skin peeling to get rid of the burn. A combination of the two is even still solvable by keeping water flowing.
5. NEVER SCRATCH THE ITCH, YOU'RE BASICALLY EGGING IT ON WHEN YOU DO THAT!
6. Don't shower while under the effects of the itch. The hard water mixed with heat or coolness only grants temporary relief, but actually wipes away the oils that can keep your skin moist.
7. Don't use creams, even the moisturizing ones do not get rid of the itch.
8. Try to keep laughing or sympathizing with others, even on this blog.
9. A good remedy to use is to take strips of toilet paper and soak them in vinegar. This may initially make it worse, but it slowly makes its way back up to normal itch, and in most cases, takes it away completely.
Good luck to you all. And to the strugglers, I can feel your pain.
This is my 3rd time with the hell itch. Everything single time I feel like a never ending beginning stage of man turning into a werewolf and last for about 2 days. I punch things, I ran around madly, I scream, I literally loose my mind. I pray that none of my neighbors see me.
The only thing that works for me is taking 5 Ibuprofen and 3 Benadryl. I would not recommend this to anybody because it is pretty dangerous to self medicate like this(However, desperate times call for desperate measures) but in about 15 minutes, the itching goes away for a couple hours and makes life livable. I do get pretty dopey though. But I would rather be a dope then tear my own skin off.
I also take showers (both hot and cold) and they are a temporary relief from the hell itch.
It is nice to know that there are other people out there who are smashing things, running around like they are on fire, and crying like a little baby, just like me. Hell itch is torture. And everyone on this blog has every right to punch anyone in the face when they, "It's just a little sunburn."
Keep fighting burnees.
The first time I've had this. I honestly had no idea sunburn could do this - I've been burned before, but I wasn't expecting this.
The ONLY thing that worked for me was antihistamines. Zirtek held it at bay for about 10 hours of sheer bliss. Then put on the lotion the stupid doctor gave me and the knives started digging again. So now I'm taking Piriton every 4 hours, which has the added benefit of knocking me unconscious.
Hang in there guys. It does get better. For me it started 4am Monday morning. It's now 10pm Wednesday evening and I'm feeling pretty normal, albeit dosed to the hilt on antihistamines and painkillers.
Hi i am a thirteen year old and this is what happened. This was the most horrible pain it was like it would never go away. I screamed and scratched but it wouldn't go away. One thing i would advise do not put vinegar on it it burns and stings I'm sorry to people the suggested it but this is something that you might want to go to the doctors or E.R. when i took all the air away from it and put heat on it i fell asleep for a few hours then I woke up and it started again so i went to the emergency room and when i was in the car my mom had to drive me it stop then again it started to once more and all the doctors saw me they new something was wrong. So the had to give me a shot to come down and now i fell so much better.
i had the same i had a sunburn 3 days ago now when my back is exposed to air it starts itching unconntrolebly i start wiggling jumping off the walls nothing worked the only thing i found that works is staying in a slightly warm shower HELP ME!!!!!!!!
I read most of these posts then tried a few of the things that made the most sense to me.
As desperate as you feel, try to attack this problem from inside and outside at the same time.
Also, think long term since some of you experienced this anywhere from a couple of hours to a few days.
So while you're trying various topical solutions (tons of moisturizing lotion actually helped me, especially if someone else can apply it massage style and has the patience to move around your back continuously and quickly to maintain skin to skin contact in lieu of scratching), start drinking water like you've never consumed it before. Most of us don't hydrate as well as we should to begin with, so its even more important when you're burned. Your skin desperately needs the moisture from within, not just for an hour or so, but consistently.
I also followed the advice of others who advised that the release of histamines for a healing burn are the biggest culprit to the hell you're experienciing. So I took Zyrtec (an over the counter antihistimine pill normally for allergies) and spray on benedryl (an external antihistamine for dry/itchy skin). I also took one Advil about every 4 hours.
Between the over the top amount of hydration via water consumption, Advil, anti-histamines taken internally and externally, avoiding showers, and moisturizing like crazy, I can at least tolerate this condition and sit here and type about it.
I am going on 6hrs now. This is worse than childbirth. I want to cry because the itching is unbearable. My fiancé has been putting aloe Vera with menthol and lidocaine on my back and I'm getting some relieve. When the itch comes and it is coming in spurts I feel like throwing myself on the floor and flopping around like a fish out of water. I have never experienced anything like this before. INTOLERABLE! I think I learned my lesson.....NEVER EVER skip the sunblock!
Beer and a nap.... or Xbox. Once you start itching it, heads up because it only gets worse! I havent found anything that works really good because as you put lotion on it, your moving it around and the itch starts from there and then your fighting a losing battle. Whatever you do just try not to scratch because there is really no good way around it......
I went through this last night.
My sunburn was kind of itchy so I put aloe gel on it and laid on my bed. My fan was going and it dried the gel up real quick. BAD IDEA. your skin itches because it's dried. Your body wants you to scratch the dead skin off. Im 17 years old and luckly I have a very wonderful mom. She sat by me while I cried and rubbed aloe LOTION on.
Turn the fan off. The sooner it dries, the sooner the itch comes back. Then, she used witch hazel. It's like an oil that really moisturizers it. She just massaged my back and in about ten minutes, it went away.
Now, my back is really soft.
Unconventional cure: Masturbate
I know this sounds crazy but it worked for me twice. Don't judge: if you've ever had the intense sunburn itch, you would try anything. I have gotten this "Hell" itch a multiple times before and nothing seemed to work for me; not vinegar, not lotions, not aloe, I even tried rubbing milk on myself. I was desperate for a quick fix and after doing a little research I found the cause for the itch. What happens is that there is nerve damage and there is no cure for the itch because the itch is just a part of the healing process.
My theory was to distract the nerves in my back/shoulders/chest with more sensitive nerves (aka: your bits and pieces). So I got on my favorite website and practiced "curing" myself. After I had finished, I had itch relief for four hours! I was pretty surprised this worked.
I would really like to hear if this method was any help for anyone else.
This is now my second time with the Lunatic Itch. I got burned two days ago on my neck and shoulders and when i took a shower this morning i slowly started to realize....the itch....its back...
I was raving like an absolute lunatic. I was screaming in the shower. I was screaming outside the shower. My 19 year old manly facade slowly dissipating before my eyes.
Using Aleve and solarcaine ive gotten the itch to a low purr when i just lay and do nothing. But if i ever aggrivate the skin on my shoulers by reaching for something, you can kiss that next minute goodnight. I just turn into a lunatic again. I hope this is gone by tomorrow, or I don't know what I'll do. Probably cry. A lot.
help...
Heyyoo!
About 45 minutes ago, I went through the same thing, but now it's waaaaaay better.
Corn starch is the way to go, folks.
Just rub it on and continue to aply it.. Not sure why, but it works like no other.
So after having experienced this lying-atop-a-fire-ant-mound living hell as a pre-teen, and having experienced it again (foolishly) as a twenty-something, I've again gone and found myself on the threshhold of hell. (Now 38)
The ONLY good thing to come out of this is that I've had the opportunity to test again a theory that appeared to have worked in the two previous instances, and has yet again proven itself to be viable.
Take a HOT shower.
The HOTTEST WATER YOU CAN STAND.
The reason why I tried this initially is because I remember my mom telling me to "heat the itch" of my poison ivy.
Itching is caused (generally) by histimines in the skin. Exposuring an affected area to heat causes the histimines to be released faster. The hotter the heat, the faster the histimine dump.
(If you ever have poison ivy or a bug bite, try it. Run the hottest water you can stand over the affected area. For a few seconds, the itch will be EXCRUCIATING. Then, it will subside, at which point the affected area is histimine-free and will feel COMPLETELY NORMAL for at least several hours.
As a pre-teen, with my first case of sunburn itch, I tried it is desperation, and IT WORKED! (You're going to have to suffer throught the pain of running hot water over a sunburned area, but trust me, ANYTHING is better than the itch.)
I tried it again as a twenty-something, and again my theory was proven correct.
Most recently, after a bad experience with a high-intensity tanning bed with recently-changed-out-UV-bulbs, thsi theory again paid out its dividends.
The reason why aloe, solarcaine, etc doesn't work is that moisture (even sweat) aggravates the release of histimines. The key is to get the skin to dump them all at once.
Here's what to do:
Step 2: Set the shower for the absolute hottest water you can stand without causing damage to yourself. (Feel free to add carrots, onions, and a dash of salt.)
Step 2: Strip and get in the shower.
Step 3: Allow the near-boiling water to cascade over your parched flesh until you no longer feel ANY inclination to scratch.
Step 4: Get out of shower and PAT DRY with a clean, dry cotton towel. Do NOT apply any lotions, salves or balms.
Step 5: Immediately put on a clean, large (non-clinging roomy) cotton t-shirt.
Step 6: Go about your business knowing you triumphed in kicking this thing's ass.
Step 7: If, after several hours you begin to feel itchy, repeat steps 1-6.
I'm interested to know who tries this and with what success you meet.
If you try this, please email me at pafipa at g m a i l dot c o m (Spaced out to foil those pesky spambots)and let me know how it works for you.
Hemorrhoid cream will do the trick. Something with lidocain will help but if you've had hemorrhoids you know the itch and it works well on the sunburn!
Okay so this post is going to be the first one in over a year to this blog.
My names josh, I'm 18 years old and obviously I still ain't mature enought to put on the damn sunscreen ! I've been in bed face down reading all these comments for about 3 hours. Most of them say the same thing but just knowing you're not the only one who has these problems is a relief itself. I'm pretty sure reading this page got my mind of of itching. Stay out of the water ! It makes things so much worst. I tried a oatmeal and lavender bath and that seemed to work very well. Another thing if you do take a shower make sure to pat yourself dry an not irritate the skin anymore than it is already ! I got burned about 3 days ago and it wasn't even that bad of a burn. Right now it is about 3:30 and I'm siting here itching like crazy and I really want to hurt someone ! But al long as I keep my mind off it and keep writin this long ass message I will hopefully not scratch lol :) thanks for all the stories and hopefully next time I will learn my damn lesson and take the 2 minutes to put on the sacred sunscreen ! :))
I am not completely sure that this helped because I had been dealing with this insnae itch for hours, but I had my boyfriend completely cover me in cornstarch. Once I was covered in cornstarch I layed down and covered up with a cool cotton sheet and it seemed to take the insane itch down a few notches. Whatever you do though try as hard as you can not to scratch and DO NOT get in any water the water makes it worse, also try not to wash your body while the itching is there the soap just dries it out and completely intensifies the itch. I know how all of you feel it is unbearable!!! and thepeople with you keep saying oh stop its not that bad.... YEAH RIGHT
i am in so much torture from this right now and im not treating it all how long does this last!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Went on a three day camping holiday with my girlfriend. It rained nonstop bar about 5 windy hours which we spent lying on a beach, needless to say with no sunscreen. JESUS LORD I wish I listened to Baz Lurman when he said 'trust me on the sunscreen'. The Itch came gradually at first, but after encouraging my girlfriend to apply aftersun to my back it came like an avalanche.
This itch will drive you WILD. It made me so uncontrollably angry, upset, confused – I just did not know what to do. I tried eumovate eczema and dermatitis cream, hydrocortisone cream; I even tried using cold milk to soothe the itch. Taking a shower didn't work, walking around topless in the garden on a freezing day with aloe on my back did not work, having a fan directly on my back did not work – NOTHING WOULD WORK.
...I found myself vowing to dedicate the rest of my life to solving this terrible problem as soon as I came out the other end...
After a couple of hours with no relief I saw no other option but to get myself to Accident and Emergency. They suggested a couple of anti-histamine medications – Ceterizine or Loratadine to help with the itch and I was told to cover my skin with a heavy moisturiser such as E 45. Apparently it is the skin healing and its contact with air that causes the irritation so smothering dense moisturiser over your body is supposed to help. Fortunately during my wait in hospital the itch slowly subsided. Why, I do not know. Maybe it had something to do with wearing a t shirt, maybe it just fades over time who knows, all I know is that I have never experienced irritation like it and despite not being a religious man I am praying that this fury does not release itself upon my back again, EVER.
Power to the people!
I found a solution to the dreaded sunburn itch!! I'm on vacation in southwest Florida and the pharmacist I talked to said this type of sunburn itch is extremely common and she gets at least 10 people asking about it every day.
The solution...
Sarna lotion!!!
It stopped the itch completely in probably 2 minutes. Last night when the problem started, the pharmacy was not open and my fix for the night was to get a large ziplock bag full of ice and put it on top of a washcloth on my back. I'm not sure if the ice helped or if it just made my back go completely numb. About 20 or 30 minutes after taking the ice off, the itch came back, so it's definitely just a temporary fix. The Sarna, however, is not. I promise it works!!!
Been over a year since the last post but gotta say thanks for giving me something to read. Took my 7 year old to the beach on friday and got the itch sunday night. Applied sunblock to her (twice) but didn't see the need to take care of Daddy... Big mistake. It is now 3am monday morning and have 2 suggestions for anyone that is going through this.
1.) Avoid showers.
2.) Welcome alcohol. If you don't drink, make an exception.
Unreal. Going on my 2nd week of this crap. About every 8 hours my back flares up, I scratch it raw, and then start the process all over. I've tried every lotion and cream, they all ease it somewhat but sure enough it comes roaring back. Seriously, when does this end? I see several people swear by Sarna lotion so it's off to the drug store.
Thanks for listening fellow sufferers.
My brothers and sisters, I feel your not-quite pain. This is indeed HELL on earth; I can take being burned, shocked, cut, abraded, whipped, all of that, but THIS... The worst part is it's not even PAINFUL, per se. It just drives you mad, slowly.
I found that for the initial healing of the burn, Aloe Vera gel works wonders, but for dealing with the itch, Calamine Lotion, Ibuprofen and Benadryl work well-make sure you use appropriate dosages of the pills, as ODing will make the itch the LEAST of your worries.
I am going to try not showering for a few days, and putting a shirt on DOES help.
Thanks to everyone for sharing their tales of Sunburn Itch; it helps to laugh at someone else's misery, when it seems worse than your own. And doubly thanks to all for submitting their ideas and techniques for a 'cure' for Sunburn Itch. It has helped me with mine. Thanks guys n gals. Good luck, and good healing to you all!
I am now going on week three of hell. It "flares up" every 4-6 hours and lasting about two hours each time peaking at night. I've spent over a hundred dollars on creams and lotions and nothing helps.
I went to a dermatologist and she said the skin is healing. No shit!!! She gave me prescription strength hydrocortisone and said I'd be itch free in three days.
I am writing this on day three during my worst outbreak of itching yet.
I'm not sure how much longer I can put up with this.
I have had a lot of injuries in my life and if I didn't just go through this I would just tell you to buck up, however it sucks, I would have rather cut my eyelids off last night than go through that again. It finally cleared enough to fall asleep after a dose of benadryl, ibuprofen, and sleeping meds. Laid on my stomach with a wet towel on my back, still there this morning but not enough to drop me to the floor!
I'm just sitting here reading this blog while my back feels like it's on fire.....
Ladies and gents, i am myself currently undergoing this torture - i've never experienced anything remotely like it. Reading your comments was an immensely comforting experience. I went to the beach a couple of days ago and failed to put suncream on. Naturally I got very sunburned, particularly on my chest and stomach. These areas were still sore when I woke up this morning but I thought I was probably out of the woods. I went for a walk and as soon as I got got back this maddening itch came on like a forest fire. My first idea was a cold shower - it didn't work. Then I tried rubbing ice cubes on my itchy parts. This did seem to provide some immediate relief but that proved to be ephemeral. At this point I began to lose my mind. I've done several of the things recommended on this website and there has been an improvement. The first thing to do is to get your head straight - there's no quick solution to this, so the principle of mind over matter is important. I've been slowly pacing up and down for the last hour and I feel a lot calmer than was the case on the initial throes. Panicking will only make matters worse. I covered the affected areas with aloe versa suncream: initially this seemed to be making matters worse, but it has proved to be an enormous help; it just takes about quarter of an hour to kick in. I also put a t-shirt on. Exposure to the air will dry out your skin and aggravate the itching. It's important to drink lots of water too. I suspect this horrible affliction will be sticking around for a while but do at least feel as if I have some measure of control over it. The very best of luck to you all!
Run like hell!!! I was at work sitting at the computer around 10am when it hit. I went to the bathroom, ripped my shirt off, soaked my undershirt in water and tried to wet my back in the bathroom stall. When that didn't work I tried pressing my back against the wall, and it still wouldn't stop. I took an early lunch and sped to the grocery store for aloe and lotion and tried putting it on in the bathroom, and when that didn't work I headed home wondering if I'd have to go to the emergency room. I chugged about 4 glasses of water and hopped in the shower, then when I got out it was even worse so I started doing jumping jacks to try and dull the pain. When I realized that the endorphins were working I put on some running shoes and ran faster and harder than I have in years. I just got back after about 30 minutes and it's still tingling, but I'm no longer insane and think I will be able to make it back to work soon.
Well it doesnt need to be said again but I will anyways... This is the WORST experience of my life. Broken bones, stitches in lip, knee surgeries, and broken noses are nothing compared to this. It is literally the closest thing to torture I have ever experienced and if we could learn to harness this power it would certainly work as a method of torture. I would fess up to anything in about 2 minutes. At its best, this itch is extremely uncomfortable. At its worse, this thing is unfathomable. I literally could not stop itching the burn for the length of time it took to text somebody.
I simply do not understand this itch. I was a lifeguard for 7 years of my life and spent hours in the hot sun and usually didn't use sunscreen. I have had thousands of sun burns in my life that were much worse than the current burn. Yet, for some reason, this is the first time I have ever experienced The Itch and it will hopefully be the last.
I currently have a cocktail of lotions on my chest and stomach, including Aloe Vera, Baby Oil, Hydrocortizone, and some anti-septic spray that said something about itchiness (yes I just resorted to reading bottles and looking for the word "itchy"). I also have taken some advil and have been drinking plenty of water. Also, I am wearing a cotton shirt. As of right now, the itching is bearable. I am not sure which of the things I have done is the method that is working, but I am glad it is.
Im going though this pain right now...nothing ive tried has worked...last night i almost went to the emergancy room becuase it was completely unbarible
This is my third bad burn! First thing I did was a ice bath.then went to urgent treatment, told the doc I needed vistaril and prednisone! I'm in the itch phase now. It sucks, but its not a kill yourself itch. Doc said I don't think you need prednisone, thats fine I'll just be going to the er to get it. Needless to say got my steriod for inflammation!
This is an itch that should only be handled by Chuck Norris...
I went to the beach and stupidly forgot to lather my back and shoulders with sunblock. Sure enough, the sun burnt me to a crisp. The initial pain was annoying, but the itch I'm getting now is unbearable.
My husband thinks I'm exaggerating, I haven't had a full night's sleep for two days because it itches too badly and nothing I do helps. My back is spasming constantly and it's taking an inhuman amount of restraint not to scratch.
The sun certainly knows how to teach a lesson. I'll never forget to coat myself in sunblock before going outside ever again.
Holy Crap! This is the absolute worst thing I have ever experienced in my short 24 years of life. I want to crawl out of my skin and set it afire, making sure it never betrays me like this again!
Being in the US Army, you'd think I would be tough enough to handle a simple sunburn, but noooooooooooo, this has Satan's hellfire signature written all over it. I'm sure Job had it better when Satan took everything from him...
So far, the only things that have help is keeping constant pressure on it, wear a shirt, drinking (Rum is my go-to), and some light exercise. Run around for about 15-20 minutes and let your sweat naturally coat the burn. Drink plenty of water, and DO NOT SCRATCH! I cannot emphasize that enough: DO NOT SCRATCH!!!!!!
Not only does scratching not help, neither will any alcohol based topical cream or lotion. Once the alcohol dries, it leaves your skin even dryer than it was before.
Oh my gosh, this blog has some really great and helpful tips!
I was at my lake house on Sunday for father’s day and forgot to put on sunscreen. I have extremely fair skin that runs in the family so obviously I have burned before. By the time I noticed that I was burning, it was too late. Since it’s on my back and shoulders, it hasn’t been causing me any problems except with being a little annoyed when trying to sleep. The itching suddenly started tonight. I was on my couch just watching TV and I had an itch on my back. Naturally, I scratched it. Oh, was that a bad decision. It erupted into an itching frenzy as I frantically itched my back and shoulders. I ran to the bathroom and put on some aloe vera that I have been using for the past couple of days. It temporarily relieved me for all of 2 seconds. I found a lotion called AmLactin that really moisturizes your body. I obviously know that there are probably better products, but at 10 pm at night, everywhere was bound to be closed. My stepmom applied a layer of that to my back but the incredible itch was still there. She suggested that I take a shower. I thought by being “creative” and trying to stop the itch, I put the shower on cold for 10 seconds and then straight to hot for 10 second and so on. This lasted for all of an hour and for the first 5 minutes after stepping out, I thought I had rid it altogether. I was horribly mistaken. The itch was back with full force. I was desperate so I filled up a glad bag and filled it with ice and laid on my couch for a little while. It was nice for like 10 seconds. I asked my stepmom to apply another layer of the lotion just to see but I was quickly itching it all off. It literally feels like 1,000 mosquitoes are attacking my back and shoulders. I applied another coat on and threw a shirt on. I thought that if I have the lotion with my shirt on, the shirt will absorb some of the moisturizer and continue to hopefully rejuvenate my burned areas. I am now currently sitting on my couch with the glad bag filled with ice pressed against my couch cushion and my back. I honestly don’t think I’m going to get any sleep tonight. Hopefully this personal hell will stop soon…
Revised from my last post
So, 3 days ago I decide to go swimming with my friends. We have fun, but towards the end, i notice a red sun burn that causes quite substantial amounts of pain. It's annoying, but i can live with it, so long as i put some aloe on it.
How wrong I was.
Whether it was an allergy from the sun, or the aloe, all i knew was the UNGODLY HELL itches that occurred right after I left the shower for a second time. Not even the hot water of the shower could counteract the itching i had on my chest.
Fortunately, i put teabags on my chest that quickly made the itching pains subside. I was quite happy that this was over and done with.
How wrong was I.
About 6 hours later, I felt an itch on my back. It felt like it wasn't on a sun burnt area, and so I scratched it.
How dumb was I.
I took a bath in my trunks, using tea, baking soda, vinegar, lotions, oils, and all of these things to remedy the HELL ITCH. I am not joking when I say that I was crying and shrieking at the unavoidable pain. It feels as if you are being burnt by inextinguishable fire. Surprisingly, the bath remedy momentarily worked, and I was glad that pizza was being made, so that I would distract myself from the itch came it again.
About an hour later, I WAS THE MOST HYSTERICAL PERSON YOU'D HAVE EVER KNOWN! Fiery pains erupted through my back, and not even tea could stop the horrendous, terrifying pain in my back.
We frantically tried everything we could to stop this unbearable atrocity, finding surprising relief in vinegar doused paper towels.
For those of you struggling, here are some tips.
1. Keep your mind focused off of the itches, this is difficult, and I admit to not being able to, but try thinking of something exciting or cool along with it.
2. Take deep breaths, and try to sleep as much as possible. Lowering your blood pressure will keep it from rushing to the sun burnt areas more.
3. Use benadryl and tylenol at every possible oppurtunity, as these are major healing factors.
4. Drink lots of water. The itch you feel is your body regenerating cells harmed in the sunburn, and when you are moisturized, especially from the inside, then it can heal either quicker or with less pain.
5. NEVER SCRATCH THE ITCH, YOU'RE EGGING IT ON WHEN YOU DO THAT!
6. Don't shower while under the effects of the itch. The hard water mixed with heat or coolness only grants temporary relief, but actually wipes away the oils that can keep your skin moist.
7. Don't use creams, even the moisturizing ones do not get rid of the itch.
8. Try to keep laughing or sympathizing with others, even on this blog.
9. A good remedy to use is to take strips of paper towels and soak them in vinegar. This may initially make it worse, but it slowly makes its way back up to normal itch, and in most cases, takes it away completely.
Good luck to you all. And to the strugglers, I can feel your pain.
Im a person that burns then tans. I am a strong girl, but this is just insane. I have had sun poisoning once in my life and that was the worst. This is the first time I have even had itching like this. I'm use to the burning, but this itching just won't quit.I put baking soda mixed with water, it works just a tad bit. I know how bad sunburn can be.
this has happened before to me but i dont know whats really happening i think its from being stuck in the rain and then my own sweat
I had this a few years back that night *shudders* in a mobile home in france, sleepless hours pacing, stamping, kicking, crying 24 year old guy. Hones, if Id had a gun or a rope I woud have finished it there and then. I never found a cure that night; but I can tell you DO NOT SHOWER OR USE AFTERSUN. I somehow survived that night and vowed I would never get burnt again.
This morning was day 2 of sunburnt back. I just forgot and I was honestly petrified of the inevitable. I waited it out and, BAM, 3am, it began.
I found this website and in panic i read bits n bobs, all stuff i knew not to do or didnt have in the cupboards. Somewhere I saw a mention of tigerbalm which I did have. I smothered up and... IT WORKED!!! a few nips here and there but nothing you cant ignore. The only badside was it made the tight-burning sensation feel fresh again, but, trust me, its bliss in comparison. I went back to sleep, and life resumed. I felt obliged to add this info, and re read some comments. It is a stange comfort to know its not just me; my friends and family think im barmy, but, we all know, this is possibly the worst hours we have ever endured...
James
I just got over having this. It still feels like it may come back at any minute but for the past 24 hrs It hasnt yet. Mine started after I got out of a swimming pool. Thought it would be better after a shower but it wasnt. I thought I was loosing my mind, I was in tears running around the house naked and calling home to my mom saying I wanted to die. It was the worst thing I have ever experienced. I found a winning combination that seemed to do the trick. I took 2 allergy pills, 1 multi vitamin, chugged two bottles of water, and rubbed an old thing of flexall 454 on my back and clear anti itch lotion (generic calamine lotion) It didnt instantly start working so i had to sit on my bed and scream in to my pillow for a few minutes until it finally started working and it took it away. I still feel like it could come back and I pray that it doesnt.
Now...this is my third time with unberable blistering sunburn, for those who are reading this blog u are probably going insane from the itch, u r twitching and so itchy u probably just want to die...well while i am wrighting this i am going insane, but what worked is going in a cold shower, if u do tjat on and off for about 20it min. And get out, u have to forget about the itch...keep your mind off it and it wont be as bad, if you try the creams such as hydrocortizine ...it does not work...just keep your room warn and dont think about it...im 14 and is my third time nothing else works i just wanted to kill myself or call 911me but i dont know what else to do...im twitching ....i need suggestions that actually work...
HELP!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi.....im 14going and have had this unberable blistering itchy sunburn three times....while i am writeing this im going crazy....only the people who are going through this itchy spasms or who have had it before know that i ssuucckkkssss!!!!!!!
Things that have worked for me is jumping in a cold shower in and off for about 2 minutes once u get out dry off by dabbing....NOT RUBBING.....and sit down in a warm room
You can not think about it or the itch will come back my step dad came home from cvs(local pharmacy ) and came back with " After sun" burn releif with lidocaine and aloe vera,,, it helps a little but most importantly...u have to keep your mind off it
Ah yes, the unbearable pin-prick of an itch...
I experienced this a few years ago when I was with my family on holiday in Lanzarote. Resting in a hot tub at midday in the boiling hot sun without any sun cream was not a good idea. By the time night fell, I was writhing in pain from the constant one-second itches. I tried hot showers, cold showers, cold baths, aftersun cream...nothing worked, although ice and just plain calming down kept it at bay for a while. After 6 days, my skin was peeling and the itching was gone.
Back in the here and now, I hadn't learnt my lesson. On Wednesday, my girlfriend and I went to Great Yarmouth for the day. Beautiful weather and a lovely breeze kept us cool, but we never thought of putting on sun cream, despite bringing it. Driving home with the sun coming through my window, I felt my skin harden and burn.
It remained sore for the next couple of days but not really itchy. By Saturday (today), I was fine...until half past 10 this morning. Got in the cold shower which was lovely, but made the fatal mistake of drying with a towel. And it began. My stress and panic made it worse. I rubbed on aloe vera and aftersun and put ice on it, which cooled it down and the itching subsided.
Right now, the itching is not terrible but still occasional, yet manageable.
So, will I be 100% non-itchy for Monday morning? What else should I try? Oatmeal, calamine, vinegar...let me know!
I'm using ibuprofen and aloe vera and taking cold baths but once my skin dries it starts itching again. This is only 2 days after I got sunburned. Help!!
Some friends and I went to the beach and we all got some pretty wicked sunburns. My roommate and I got the worst of it and all it did was hurt the first two days. Then on Day 3, i wake up and she says she went through this horrible itch that didn't go away and made her cry. I brushed it off, figuring she was just being a baby about it. Then later, after I took a shower, I started to itch a bit. At first, it was just slightly annoying. Then, with every second, the itching grew exponentially. I started freaking out and started slapping the sun burn to get it to stop, but it didn't. I ran to the freezer and got an ice pack and tried to stop it that way. As the sunburn covered both shoulders and my whole back, I could only stop one small spot from itching at a time. I tried a cold shower, but it only worked for a few seconds at best.
Eventually I resorted to s fistful of advil and the hottest bath I could get. It works for a little while, but the itching still returns. Now I'm waiting for someone to bring me benadryl, as I couldn't drive without crashing and dying.
I hope this stops soon...
I've read all these comments, took me a few hours. The Itch is as described...INSANE!! I didn't have the Itch before I started to work out, then it got bad. Though a nice and cold shower would cure it, but for me, it only got worse. I almost threw up and passed out. Yeah, that bad. For the next hour the pain was unbearable! Who could imagine something sooo awful?! I didn't think anything could help, but here's what worked the best for me:
Not putting on lotion; it seemed to make it 10x worse.
Not touching it, as hard as that was. I literally wanted to tie my hands together and get knocked out.
Reading these comments and taking my mind off of it really worked. Weird, huh?
Goodluck to everyone out there suffering from this insane and torutous Itch! May you find peace! Remember, you're not alone or insane...(:
take a hot bath it stopped the rest of the day
woah hunter stauss is frickin ripped!
woah hunter stauss is frickin ripped!
Like all of you I thought I was going to kill myself from this itch. I see a lot of suggestions but I think the aloe and lotions are for after you are healing. The itch we are describing is while we are still burned. And all the aloe in the world won't help us. It makes it worse. Something that helped me so far is Benadryl and heat. I took 1 because I am hyper-sensitive to antihistamines. Then I went to the store to buy peppermint oil. Well I live in AZ and it is summer right now so it's 110 out. As soon as I got into my car the itching stopped. It looks like anthihistamines and heat work! I'm hoping the peppermint oil works while I'm at work because I will fall asleep if I take Benadryl at work. I'm so glad I found this blog. I've read every single comment. We are not alone!!!
This itching is crazy!! i haven't experienced in over 17 years as i have been religious about wearing a shirt when i swim or boat or mow yard(anything in the sun)...i am very pale skinned and roast very easy,it only itches on my back or shoulders and i can't stand it..
years ago i got silverdine from doctor but that relieved sunburn and not the after itch...Ive tried everything from peppermint oil to gold bond to aloe etc..nothing works,the peppermint oil somebody posted was a mean prank i think as it made it worse!!!!
now the solution i found is benedryl , I am drunk now off of the benedryl and want to goto sleep but no itch!! just a drunk feeling of the benydril ...Im self employed so i guess Ill just take the next few days off and be doped up watching TV as i cannot stand the itch..
My wife is mexican and she thinks I'm LOCO and i showed her this blog and she can't believe it is as bad as i say..
I think i married her as my subconscious mind remembered the last itch episode i had when i was young and wanted to make sure my descendants wheren't cursed with this pale white skin!!! all my kids are dark complected!! yahoo for them!!
I am naked and miserable, It just started 20 min ago, Just came home from 2 days at the beach and when i got home ready to sleep, i felt a little itch, I scratched it and scratched it and then I started to scream, it got wayyyyyyyyyyy worse and then i took a shower then screaming more, I ran out, put on some aloe grabbed my towel and put it tightly on my itch, it works extremely well :)
^ by the way sunburn itch on my tit's hurts.
omfg this is the worst thing ive ever experienced in my life.. it is absolutely horid... now at 2 days after my burn it gets insanely itchy.. it is unbearable. DO NOT get in the shower for whatever reason it feels good first then turns savagely itchy... while someone went to the pharmacist to get something i rotated cooolllldddd wet towells on my back then when my dad got back with BENADRYL ITCH RELIEF CREAM he applied that and within 20 minutes of holding back my urge to itch and scream and cry i also put on a shirt over it.. it worked, my back is almost itchless now just do not itch !!!!
It's hell man, it doesn't sound like it could be terrible but once it happens to you you'll wear black and swim with shirts for the rest of your goddamned life. I damn near decked my stepdad after he said it wasn't that bad. Mine has usually cleared up after a couple of hours but the best I've ever done is an ice cold shower and a shit-ton of aloe.
I was roofing the other day, helping a friend. I was on the roof from 8am-5:30pm in a very high intense UV day. Today is Thursday. This was Tuesday. I was pretty good till today when i showered. Uncontrollable itch came on to where i almost punched a hole in our bedroom wall. My girlfriend was at work amd i was pretty much helpless. I got in the bathtub and started filling it. I used a box of baking soda in the eater...water. Seemed to help a bit...then i called my sister. She came over with Lydocain and Menthol Aloe...worked awsome!! Also...take Motrin...it helps with the inflammation of the skin. Im relaxing itch free with a shirt on while i type this out from my cell. Also, we looked up some other remedies...one i will try later tonight...liquefied potatoes. Yes...you heard me. Skins and all. Has been a healing remedy for centuries ....will follow up tomorrlw with the results. :-) i thank God and all of you for your help and ailments. Good luck everyone..
ahhhhhhh sweet relief.... kind of, I went swimming 2 days ago and needless to say got a pretty hefty burn on my chest kind of look like a lobster now but that is hardly important. First day it just burnt which I can live with that pain is nothing. Today I woke up everything was fine for about an hour and a half.... until i started to feel a terrible itching that made me want to jump off my house into the street. Luckily i could not move on my own power. I tried putting on aloe but this just seemed to make it worse. So I thought mmmm shower cold water but for some reason I tried to clean the litter box first (hey dont want to have to clean that after showering) after getting halfway done I ran for the shower soothing cold water did the trick till I got out. Next level sunburn treatment.... watery ice cold rags..... just really a teaser. Then after reading about the Calamine Lotion trick I ran around the house like a chicken who just lost the use of his site by head amputation (more fun then it sounds) and generously applied it all over myself. In the words of Eric Cartman "More Calamine Lotion"
It took about 20 minutes for the itch to start subsiding, now I am left with the feeling of a chilled burn. This I can stand without use of pain killers. So if nothings working go with that Calamine CALAMINE CALAMINE WOOOOOO feel the burn
This is the worst thing that has ever happened to me. I was going crazy, hitting myself with my shirt, jumping into the shower multiple times, yelling into a pillow. My dad woke up in the middle of the night and yelled at me because he thought it was just a "little itch." I showed him this blog and now he realizes how severe it was. I wouldn't wish this feeling on any person alive, it literally felt like there was bugs in my skin crawling around and biting every one of my nerves. I jumped in the shower and it did nothing for me. Aloe Vera made it worse, I think i tried every cream we had in the house. My mom eventually went out and got some Benadryl spray which seemed to help. What worked best for me to calm down was to put on a damp towel on my back and hold it really tight and read these blogs.
I'm not showing people youtube videos of other people and what has happened to them, because i was losing my freeeeeking mind! I didn't know whether to cry, scream, punch, kick, or knock myself out from the pain!
I also found this shirt for all of us survivors:
http://www.cafepress.com/sunburnitch
Omg I'm 14 and went swimming for 6 hours with no sunscreen and have the unbearable ITCH!!!! I'm chugging water and it seems to be helping (: but it feels like little bugs r biting my back every now and then, this morning I had it twice, it hurt so bad I was crying walking in circles over and over again!!! I tried lotion but that's what made it worse! I took a bath for bout 45 mind which helped a bit. All I can suggest is drink TONS of water! I'm gonna keep drinking water until it goes away even if I throw up!!!!! Hope everyone else gets better and next time we should all wear sunscreen :(
About 6-8 weeks after my sunburn goes away, I get severe itching whenever I come in contact with water. After showering, I experience 15-30 minutes the most intense, agonizing pin-pricking/itching imaginable, and I feel like I'm going out of my mind. It took me a while to link the itching I feel in the fall to the sunburn I got months earlier in the summer. Anybody else suffer this delayed-onset itching?
Had the itch for about 16 hours now. I kept it under control by constantly applying pressure to the itch ares(s) whenever they itched and always kept my back up against a leather seat. i found drinking water made it worse.
I know I'm late to the party but I just found this after frantically searing the internet for a solution.
I was seriously starting to question my own pain threshold after the first five people said, "Come on man, it's not that bad." Now I know I'm not going completely f*cking insane. I want to take a razor blade and slice off every inch of skin that has rebelled against me.
As others have stated, it's the shower that really kicks it into the next gear. That and scratching. I've been sitting at work gently caressing my chest and stomach so as to "scratch the itch" without actually scratching and making it worse.
Peppermint oil is an interesting idea, I might try that. Until then I'll just sit here touching myself like a weirdo and try to keep from jumping out of the 35th floor window.
hello everyone that is reading this at the moment i am going insane over this itch that is from my sunburn. i think i will try drinking the pain/itch away and ill will tell you how that go's ... i am 14 i know i shouldn't but it pretty much a do or kill myself situation.
It's happening! And considering it's the second time in three years you think I would learn but no. Like most people the itching started after I had a shower- not even a hot shower I stuck to the cool water. I got out feeling a little itchy so I put some aveeno moisturizing lotion on it- bad idea. From there I quickly went to the aloe vera and from there into panic mode. Bendadryl is sort of helping, staying in the shower for hours on end was helping but it wasn't until I was sprawled out on my carpeted floor wrapped in a towel taking soothing deep breaths that the itch started to disappear. It's still itchy now, but not the twitching running around the room sort of itch.
My advice: moving makes it itch more. So does sticking your back up against the vent that is spitting out cold air. Benadryl, towel, carpet, deep breaths!
Glad I found this I thought I was going crazy. Woke up this morning with an ungodly itch all over my back. 100% aloe didn't help at all. I eventually put on some anti-sunburn irritation spray from the pharmacy (around $8), took 20mg of ibuprofen and slept the day away. When I woke up it was a lot better. It's still itchy but nothing compared to this morning. Hopefully the worst of it is over. Good luck to anyone who's going through this at the moment, because it's dreadful.
This is the best sight EVER!
It is like having chicken pox and somebody constantly pinching you at the same time. I have a three year old that I had to fully distract in a separate room from me to keep her from asking me questions/ talking to me as I was about to tear my skin off and lose my mind! All of these things can help you however I know there will be different ones for each person.
First off- If you have it on your back it is going to be doubley bad as your nerves react due to them being more highly sensitive near your spine. Which controls most of the nervous system. you will find yourself itching in other places because of this which intensifies the effect.
Secondly- Mosturize!!! IF all else fails and all you have is plain jane lotion, use it!! Your body is healing from the burn and that is why it is itching. Drying the skin out will add to this. Keep it mosturized as much as possible to eliviate the pain. Topical lotions and creams will help but really until you sedate yourself (not always possible or recommended) it will be there. Bare through it.You are strong! :)
Third- Avoid scratching and/or showering. Scratching really does not help and can make it worse. Instead just apply pressure in that spot; such as pushing against a chair or using your hand. It dulls it a little. Showering again dries the skin and makes it worse.
Forth- Pain Killers and antihistamines can help as well but don't rely on it.
Fifth- wear lose clothing that are made of cotton, silk, satin or any smoother texture. It helps immensley. avoid texture, ruffles, wool (obviously) and anything that even looks irritating. wearing a guaze or plastic wrap over the skin with your choice of topical product underneath will definitely help. Especially if you need to go to work.
Happy healing folks! and thank you for your tips as well!! :D
Friday I went to the waterpark and put on a spray on 30 SPF. I got burned on my shoulders and back. The best I can figure, the wind blew when I was spraying it on or something??? Anyway, Friday night and all day yesterday, my sweet daughter rubbed it down with aloe Vera gel with lidocane in it and it helped with the sunburn pain tremendously (coupled with Tylenol) and I thought I was doing great.. THEN I took a shower! Immediately after the
shower, my sweet little nurse slathered me up with the aloe gel. I was fine for half a movie, then the itching ensued!!! Been going NUTS! Convulsing! Crying! Praying! Begging for sympathy! My daughters were taking turns with the constant rub down, but it was not going away! I was reading all of these posts and consequently begged my oldest to find anything topical to rub on me and she found some "ivarest" medicated poison ivy cleansing foam!!!! Oh my gosh! The relief was instant!
IVAREST !!!!! No shirt and a fan blowing on it. Took some Benadryl as the other posts recommend and I am hoping for some sleep! Thank God!!!
I had no idea that anything could itch this bad... I'm not typically one to post on random blogs, but this is a bad enough experience to motivate me to do just that (and from the volume of posts from others, it looks like I'm not alone).
I think taking a shower is what triggered the itch. A combination of diphenhydramine (Benandryl) and peppermint oil has brought the itch down to a manageable level. Also, if one particular area is itching so bad you NEED to relieve it, use an ice pack (try not to get the area wet, though).
Things that didn't work include anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen or aspirin, aloe, lidocaine (though to be fair I didn't use a whole lot of it), and gold bond powder.
Good luck to whoever reading this has this dreadful itch. Don't let anyone else tell you it's not bad, because having been there, it is BAD. Worse than I could have imagined before I experienced it.
I have read alot of your comments and I gotta say -
I WIN!
You think you have it bad? you have no idea... I am in agony and this is day 10 of my sun poisoning! Day 10! I have not been in the sun since last monday and it is tuesday the following week!!!
I just got back from Mexico yesterday. I think my thyroid medication reacted badly with the sun. This has not happened to me before I have been taking this medication for 20yrs! I wore sunblock, 30spf water proof the entire time and it didnt protect me. My chest,stomach, shoulders, entire back and arms are badly burnt and I am covered in water blisters still today on day 10! Oddly my legs are fine. I have no idea why.
Stage 1 - I could not even lay on my back for 4days the pain was unbearable. It sucked the breathe from outta me to move.
Stage 2 - Laughing hurts and heavens if i tried to bend down to pick something up, my shoulders pound with excrutiating pain.
I still have chills and fevers. I smell a little odd sometimes. Not sure if this is from the blisters?
I am at work today there is no air conditioning the digital display says its 27 degrees in here. I am so itchy. I am sweating and breaking out into even more blisters on top of my blisters. Did I mention I was itchy!
Stage 3 - yesterday I finally starting to peel in some areas.
I am continually rubbing myself up against door jams like a bear.
I tried to use a long object to itch my back and a muscle cramped in my arm so bad that one of my fingers curled up in terrible pain. I had to use my other hand to straighten my finger out. That made my itch stop for a bit....Now my arm hurts inside too. I think that muscle got pulled when it cramped.
I've tried Ibuprofen. Aloe. Aveeno Oatmeal. Vinegars. Cold compresses. Benadryl. Lidocaine cream. Cold compresses, cold showers, Tequila, Vodka, Grad Marnier, No relief.
I have had burns before. But they have never lasted this long. this is ridiculous!
I was so cold in the evenings in Mexico I was wearing long sleeves in 36 degree weather! Teeth Chattering. My husband grabbed my hand and it was even cold.
I am drinking lots of water and I haven't had any alcohol in about 6days as one I dont feel well enough to consume any alcohol and two I don't want to dehydrate.
I am so prickly itchy hot cold wet and sticky and if something doesnt give soon I am going to have to go to a hospital. I feel pretty awful.
Hi everyone. Like all of you i have come here because of the incredible itching that has accompanied my sunburn.
It started today. Once again about 2 days after the initial burn. Luckily i am on holidays and have nothing important to attend to except the crippling pain and rage that comes with this. I have been calmed by most of the comments here.
I woke up today with the itching on my back. It was incredible never felt anything like it. Sleep was tough the night before because of the burn but the rude awakening set my day off to a bad start.
Anyway my solutions to the problem that i found have worked absolute wonders and the ithiness is now infrequent.
1) This is going to sound strange but try to give yourself goosebumps. This kills the urge to itch for about 10- 15 seconds for me and is easy for me to consistantly do. I just run my 5 fingers down my back with only the tips barely touching the surface. This helps to kill a sudden jerk that i found happens every now and then.
2) I am out in spain as this happened. Fair, blonde and blue eyed. I would think i am used to sunburning but this is different... Excruciatingly different. Anyway i found a product called balsoderm. Excellent. Killed the itching within seconds and lasted about 30- 40 minutes before re applying. Not sure if this is available elsewhere. Hopefully it is.
3) As taken from above pop on a shirt. I found the air aggrevates it.
4) Showers can kill those horrendous bouts that last hours. I take a quick 3 minute shower with dove soap and it seems to help alot.
5) Move as little as possible and avoid as little wind as possible.
I feel all of your pain that go through this and hopefully applying some of the methods i mentioned will help.
Honestly though goosebumps helped me the most. If you cant do it yourself get your girlfriend/boyfriend. Hell anyone who will do it. It releives the shit out of it and totally distrracts your body from the itching.
Lastly drink as much water as you can. I drank 4 litres today and it has eased it ALOT! water is a massive element in fighting this! Good luck!
I thought I'd add my two cents.
I was burned quite badly on a sunbed earlier this week - I know I was stupid to go on a sunbed, but I have extremely pale skin and, living in subtropical Taiwan, went to the beach last weekend and felt very self-conscious of how conspicuously white I was.
Anyway, I went on for the minimum 6 mins (they gave me the option of 10 mins, which I'm so relieved now I didn't opt for)... I think the sunbeds must have been set to Asian skin settings because I have never been burned this badly before on them. No blisters or anything, but very red and sore.
The itch set in about 2 days later, and was set off when I applied some Aloe Vera "gel" during the day - actually in the toilets at Starbucks during a study session.
I'd used the gel before without any problems, but clearly something in it set it off this time.
The itch was incredible - just as all the people here have described - a crazy, unbelievable feeling...horrific and quite scary in its intensity.
I just had to grit my teeth and withstand the urge to scratch, which was unbelievably hard.
I managed to put up with it until the end of my college classes at the end of the afternoon, by which point I decided to jump in the shower as I thought this might cool the itch off.
Bad idea - it made it far worse, and the 15 minutes after I got out of the shower are quite possibly the worst 15 minutes of my life - I think it is the worst sensation I have EVER felt in 27 years. The urge to scratch is unbelievable but scratching just intensifies it - I had to grip onto my headboard and desperately try to resist while groaning in agony. Truly awful.
The itch eventually subsided, and about 30 hours later, it hasn't been anywhere near as bad since, although it is still here as a constant niggling, uncomfortable sensation.
I hope I'm past the worst of it now.
I have the utmost sympathy for anyone suffering this awful thing. I hope my tips might help a little:
1) Try to put off having a shower on the irritated skin for as long as possible. Wash yourself in the necessary places but don't expose the skin to a full on shower, whether hot or cold, for at least 24 hours after you first feel the itch,
2) Use 100% pure Emu oil. I've found this to be really helpful - it is intensely moisturising but also contains no ingredients such as alcohol that might aggravate the skin. It has really helped. I buy mine from iherb.com
3) Drink as much water as possible - as has already been mentioned.
4) Take fish oil tablets, or some other essential fatty acid supplement - these help to moisturise the skin. I just loaded myself up on these - took about 6 in the first few hours. Not sure whether it helped but I think it might have done. I use this one from iherb: http://www.iherb.com/Natural-Factors-RxOmega-3-Factors-120-Softgels/2717
5) Use 100% Aloe (or as close as possible) but DO NOT use any Aloe 'lotion' - as the alcohol and the added ingredients seemed to aggravate it in my case. Be dubious of 'pure aloe vera' - as this is often not 100% aloe, but will merely contain 'pure aloe vera' in some form. I used this 'Aloe 99' gel and found it very soothing: http://www.amazon.com/Aloe-99-Gel-99-9/dp/B000RKWPRE/ref=pd_sim_bt_2/182-3756596-5544536
And also, as much as possible try and use your will power to fight the urge to scratch. It is unbelievably hard but eventually the urge to scratch will fade, but this will only happen if you don't scratch it. If you scratch it will just get worse.
And keep in mind the worst will be over in a few hours.
I hope this is helpful and I wish everyone the best of luck in getting through this horrible thing!
I've experienced this once before.
Now once again..
So, after getting a sunburn two days ago, I went to the beach today in hope of getting some sun, because the pain was over... though to my great grief the itching started the second I took my shirt off at the beach. I had my sister smear lotion on my back(because thats where the burn was), but little did it help. I ran back to our apartment because I thought getting into a cooler area would help, but nope. I spent the next 3 hours in a cold shower, running a wet towel up and down my back to scratch it... eventually it faded and now I can feel it a bit still. I sincerely hope that it doesn't return, because it left me in an emotional state.
I wanted to thank everyone who contributed to these blogs! They provided great ideas for me! As I was reading through, it is clear that alot of ideas were contradictory, which makes me believe that this is truly unique to each individual.
On Wednesday, I sat out in my pool yard studying, in the shade, with no sunblock. I never realized that I could get so, so burnt in the shade for a few hours. It was a normal burn and I thought nothing of it, especially because it was not outwardly red, or blistery or anything. It looked fine.
It was not until SATURDAY night that I started to itch. This has happened to be twice before, once when I was 16, and last year when I was 21. I tried to ignore it, hoping it would go away. It got so, so much worse.
I took benadryl rememebering that helped and jumped into a cold shower because I needed relief. It had gotten so bad that my legs would spasm and convulse just because I was trying to not itch. I could not sit still. It was aggravating. I ended up staying up ALL night. I vomitted around 5am. I tried ice packs, aloe, vinegar, nothing would let me sleep.
I went to urgent care that morning hoping to get some strong meds, but the doctor did not take me seriously. She basically said oh, you have a sunburn, use aloe.
I read some suggestions and a couple people said to try a scorching hot shower. I was willing to try anything because it was now 1pm and I still had not slept yet. I put the shower as hot as I could stand it. I stayed as long as I could too. I patted down with a towel and was expected the worst after reading people's experiences. Surprisingly, the horrible itch never came back! Not believing my luck, I popped two benadryl, two ibuprofens and FINALLY was able to sleep.
I woke up four hours later, the itching still manageable. I can technically take more meds but I am waiting until bedtime because it is not excrutiating!
If you have tried everything, TRY the scorching hot shower. It worked for me!
i know how all of you feel and it true what all of you wrote everything i read was happening to me it got so bad with me that i was walking around in circles in the bathroom just rubbing my arms chest and back and when this happens you cant think of any thing els but to stop the icthing cant concentrate on anything wnhen it was all over i was thinking if someone walked in on me doing that they would think im crazy and every body is right if it hasnt ever happend to you you dont have any idea how bad it is. i went to a water park for vacation and rode some water rides but mostly just rode a lazy river so my arms my back and chest got most of the sun but but the only thing i got to help was just be calm and dont move it hard to do at first but try a little rubbing at first and them work you way down to no rubbing then lay or sit compelty still DONT MOVE i didnt put any thing on it cause i was at work thanks
HAHAHA. I know the feeling all to well. Lotion, aloe, and Cocoa Butter make it feel WAY worse. I found if you take a hot shower (painful as it may be) will help. Then take the damp towel you dried yourself with and wrap it around you it will prevent it from coming back, or at least for a while. Some relief is better than non at all. Some anti inflammatory medicine works well with this (Advil, Ibprofen, or anything with NSAID (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug) on it. Lastly alcohol helps (and I'm not talking about rubbing alcohol) but this only works if you are 21 and older. Good luck to you all. I hope this helps some.
Yeah im feelin the sumburn itch pain....took 2 tylenal, smoked a bowl and took a real painkiller and rubbed my back with A and D ointment to condition my skin....and wearin a real tight shirt...gettin tired maybe i will live lol
Hello Ladies and Gents,
Excuse my English but i am from sunny Greece and here is my story,
I finally made it to the Beach on my Birthday to swim and have some fun,
But the sun was just too hot that day so i got burned.
On the first night i just lay on my chest to avoid the back-Bed contact.
All went well with a little Aloe and some after sun cream.
But today i suferred the Itch attack.
I came home after work and did the big mistake, I took a shower with common shower gel.
As i was finishing it all started.
I run out to living room screaming
My girlfriend tried to find out what on earth was going on.
I keept out jumping around
My girl tried Aloe but it got worse
then tried After sun cream but it got WORSE.
So i was goind up and down like a wild Ape.
I went back into the shower to see if the water works but it did not at that point.
I was thinking about calling an ambulance.
As i was looking for something Usefull in the bathroom i found a
Ganoderma Lucidum Soap bar
so i started rubbing it all over my skin.
After a few minutes i started to feel relief and could consentrate and call a Dermatologist who told me to buy Phenergan antihistamine cream , Ozal antihistamine pills and Medrol cortisone pills, I just pray it wont start again.
Good luck to all of you
TIGER BALM + SHIRT + POWERFUL LIQUOR
THIS IS MY COMBO.
OH GOD I WANT TO RIP THE DRYWALL OFF THE WALLS WHEN IT WEARS OFF THOUGH.
I can't believe how much this itches. It feels like I'm being stung by wasps over and over again. I took showers both hot and cold, applied aloe (which unfortunately was a terrible decision), took 2 benadryll and 2 ibuprofen, and now lay here on my bed. It's been about 2 hours since the itching kicked in, and I'm just laying here praying that it will go away by tonight.
The pain in unbearable!!
This is the 3rd time I've had this in my life. The first 2 times everyone thought I was crazy! Just took a bunch of vitamins, as well as Tylenol and Zyrtec. Put on a shirt and drinking lots of water. Been itching for around 12 hours now. I've tried sleeping for the last 4 hours now, which isn't happening. Can't wait for this crap to go away. In the past, the only thing to work was ice. Aloe, calamine, or vinegar made it worse. I tried an oatmeal bath. That was worse yet. Put me in a straightjacket and lock me in a padded room!
Dude no joke my chest is fu@$3d n I'm going crazy my shoulders n biceps r killin me n the itch.... :( I wanna cry but I can't..... Calomine lotion doesn't do jack I pored half the bottle on my chest doesn't do anything I'm ready to put a gun to my head plz some body please god help me please!... :(
This is the second time that this has happened to me.
I went to the beach on Friday underneath the shade of a palm tree.
I fell asleep in the shade. I woke up in the shade.
I got sun-burned....through the freaking shade.....
The inevitable itch that I have been dreading has now arrived. But after reading this site...here is what is helping me bear the itch.
1. Keep a smooth, soft shirt on. A soft sweat shirt or hoodie would be nice. NOT a sweater....
2. When you have to itch (and you will...) try pressing your hand over the itch area very tightly without rubbing. Lift and press subsequent itching areas instead of scratching.
3. Raise your core temperature. I perform some kind of moderately strenuous physical activity. Doing this takes your mind off of the itch, and causes your body to do SOMETHING to relieve the itch temporarily. Other people have used blow dryers. Actually a hot water bottle might come in handy here. Put the hot water bottle over your skin tight garment of choice.
4. Drink lots of water. When you increase your core temp you will sweat and lose water.
If this is the first time you have gone through this...I am sorry my friends.
This hellish itch/ pain is like a thousand tiny needles pricking your entire body (where the burn is).
NOTE: I did read a nice idea from someone that used raw aloe and pressed it onto his burn area with PLASTIC WRAP and just left the plastic wrap on. This might actually work but I have not tried it yet.
Meditation is the key...but it is extremely tough. When you think about it...itch is just an electrical impulse that is interpreted by your brain. Through meditation you can actually "choose" not to interpret the itch that way.....but dude....SO hard...
Trying doing a workout first, then meditate but remain completely still.
My thoughts and sympathies are with you guys.
burned on thursday satarting itching on saturday. 50 hours and counting. i am crawling out of my skin. nothing helps. tried dairy, aveeno, oatmeal bath, tea bath, aloe, anti itch cream, lanacaine, benedryl. no relief. and i havent slept in 3 days. realy ready to scrape my skin off.
It has been two days since my sunburn and the itch started about 12 hours ago. It is by far the most painful, horrible feeling I have ever experienced.. and it won't stop!!! Everything I put on it or do to it seems to make it worse... the only thing that helped is a lot of advil/painkillers, not moving (exetremely hard to do with the pain..you know what i mean), and watching a crapload of "lost" to take my mind off it. when will it end gahhhhhh
Someone mentioned that the only thing that works is getting under the shower in hot water. After trying it out it actually worked and I couldn't believe it. I was so happy. Cold water and aloe vera didn't do anything for me but 15 minutes under hot water and the itchiness went away . A bit painful at first because of the heat so start off lukewarm water and work your way up. Thank science I live in the internet age to have found this information out.
Came on for me exactly 2 days after and it was mostly gone a full 24 hours later.
Here is what worked for me.
First and last - WATER.
After waking up at 3 am on 2 hours sleep with intense pain I put aloe on my back, put a shirt on, sat down and read these comments and watched tv. It burns like hell for 15 min after aloe but will calm down. Just will yourself to not scratch. After that take some Advil PM to knock yourself out. When you wake up it'll be manageable. Just put more aloe on, dont scratch aggressively and it will be gone 90% by night time.
The people who have tried to push water are absolutely right. Five minutes after drinking a couple glasses you can tell the difference. Just drink water non stop and it will take care of itself.
Don't worry, it goes away.
Hi, im going through the same thing right now. I got the terrible itch last night and actually thought i wasnt going to make it through the night! I started shrieking (which didnt really help). Regarding what someone up there says that it depends on the severity of the sunburn, it doesnt. Mines almost a tan now and i still got the itch. What i did was take benedrill and had some one put pressure on the worst part until the benedryll knocks you out
Omg this is worse than pain itself this is the second time I have gotton the itch the first time I did what everyone else does shower lotions nothing helps quickly except coolness anything wit a cooling effect helpsyou need to drink water to stay hydrated I. Find from what I haveread it is apparently your cells regenerating so on the bright side this is what healing feels like downside healing feels like some medevial torture where the put mosquitos under your skin I don't remember wher I read this but apparently pepermint oil helpshell it could have been this post I don't remember I'm just trying to distract myself
All the troubles started yesterday when my back start itching after 2 days when I got sunburns at the beach. However, the itching itself started right after intensive cycling ride when I sweated a lot, before that I didn't have this unpleasant feeling therefore I think there is massive connection between sweating/loosing water and itching. Didn't sleep a minute this night, it was too uncomfortable to sleep on my stomach, therefore started to watch TV series just to kill the time. Now it is about 14 hours since the itching started, I use sea buckthorn creme, drink a lot of water and try not to scratch my back. The feeling is disgusting, it impacts all my routine and I hope it will finish until next day (or at least will get better and that annoying feeling will stop). Guys, feel sorry for you who have the same problem, be patient, the best news are that we know it will stop sooner and later and we have to be only patient :)
The other day I went swiming for a little while, probably the first time in a long time. But anyway, as you could guess, my neck, sholders, and back were burned and started stinging that night. It didn't bother me the next day but the day after, I'm just sitting here when everything started feeling a little itchy... then it burned and itched and now I'm going insane. This my friends is why I personally like swimming near the edge of dark right when the sun is setting and the sky it about to start turning orange. But I digress, this really is helpful even when I'm having a tough time keeping from taking a sharp knife and skinning myself, I'm starting to think that the pain of removing my skin would be more barrable than this. My heart goes out to those that suffer this torture and I wish you all the best!
Tonight was my 1st experience with the terrible sunburn itch. It hit me fast and i immediately tried cortizone cream a whole tube, i then put aloe on top of that and massaged my chest and stomach for 20 minutes. No relief. I have taken 3 tylenol 3s and 2 xanax with 2 benedryls and have been laying on my bed with a dry towel over me just rubbing my skin. I can finally sit normally ...
My 18 year old son woke me at midnight last night with the look of fear and pain in his eyes. He was sunburnt over the weekend on his chest. He said he took a shower when it started and it made it worse. He was rubbing aloe on his chest like a mad man. His whole body was shaking and his breathing had increased so that I thought he was going to pass out. I jumped on the laptop and found this site. THANK YOU!!! As tears were running down his face, I had him lay as still as possible on the floor, close his eyes and take slow breaths. I put a cold hand towel on his chest and dug out the cortizone. He lathered cortizone over the aloe. Reading him some of your posts helped him relax knowing he was not the only one that has gone through this torture.
Thank you for saving us a trip to the emergancy room!
I'm a 16. This was BY FAR the worst experience and feeling of my entire life. I got sunburned like 3 days ago over my back and shoulders and a little bit on my upper arms. I itched a little during my college classes today, then when I got home a few hours ago and was laying down the itch really started. I have never felt anything as awful and torturous as this hellish itch. Nobody, not even my mom could comprehend how badly it hurt, it was driving me insane. I was literally yelling and crying in frustration. It's stopped for the moment. I tried everything I read on this blog. Before I read this though, I took a shower. It actually didn't make the itching worse, it was already bad. Then I read the blog where everyone said not to use water...but honestly it didn't really effect me. Then I took everything off, besides a t-shirt that I smeared lotion all over the inside of, then I laid down and that didn't really help much. I put ice pack all over my back which numbed it for a while, but then it came back. Then I took some (probably too much) ibuprofen because I didn't have benadryl, and a few shots of rum, then I took a cold shower and put a t-shirt on and the itch has subsided for the moment. I was literally convulsing in agony a few hours ago. I'm hoping it doesn't come back but from what I've read, I have a feeling it will.
Good luck everyone and BELIEVE ME, I completely feel your pain. I was considering having my mom take me to the ER, it was that bad.I was going to write on here earlier and comment but I couldn't even do that because I had to convulse like every 5 seconds. Trust me, the agony will abate. I hope this never happens to me ever again and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.
Edit to the previous comment (mine), it was actually a scorching hot/ice cold shower, not just a cold one...I turned it up as hot as I could then switched to cold and back again. My back is now pricking but it was much worse before, praying that it doesn't come back...
it feels ike somthing is eating me alive
wow this is bad. thank god i found this site. i was a the beach on friday and ended up getting a really bad burn on my shoulders and chest. its sunday night now and i had a shower before going to bed. big mistake. i started getting a little itchy and then it just became unbearable. i lathered on the aloe...nothing...dumped a bottle of vineger on myself...nothing. i started going nuts pacing around my apartment so i googled "stop burn itch" and found this site. while speed reading through a noticed someone said tiger balm. its the only thing i had so i rubbed it all over my burn. it took about 15-20 mins but i finally got some relief. its been just over an hour now and im still not itchy so i'd definitly give it a try if you have it.
I got the itch 2 days after the moderate sunburn. Shower, of course, got it started. It lasted about 16-17 hours, then I slept and was MUCH MUCH better the next day.
Here's what helped me:
Sarna (it's got menthol) with plastic wrap over it (putting it in the fridge would feel even better)
Then, I laid down on 2 large Ziplok bags of ice with a thin towel between those an my back.
I also took maximum of Benadryl for the day + alternated Ibuprofin and Acetaminophen every two hours.
I also did whatever I could to get my mind on other things while still remaining completely still.
I know what you're talking about- I scared my husband with how I screamed! I think he's still traumatized. :)
It came on 2 days after moderate burn. It lasted about 17 hours. I was MUCH better the next day.
This worked for me:
Sarna (has menthol) with plastic wrap over the skin (keep it in the fridge and it feels even better).
Ice packs with thin towel to protect your back and really numb it.
Benadryl + Ibuprofin and Acetaminophen alternating every two hours.
Get something to take your mind off of it and stay as immobile as possible.
Drink plenty of fluids.
My husband hasn't quite gotten over the trauma of my screaming yet- hang in there!
omg this is the worst pain/crazy feeling i have ever had.
I want to kill my self im so glad i found this site.
as i was about to go to sleep it hit.....like a truck my girlfriend kept asking whats wrong.....i couldn't ever describe it to her she thinks ive gone mad.
I am currently going through this itch. I now believe that people can snap and do crazy things.
Temporary insanity due to sunburn itch.
Polysporin anti-itch is like a miracle. It stops the itch immediately. Light weight clear gel, dries in 1 min. skin stops itching and hurting. It also makes your skin feel really smooth.
Ok just got my first really bad burn 5 days ago. I'm 31 the area is still red/burned and it's pealing this morning it started to itch like crazy about a hour ago scratching helps for a few seconds then it gets worse all I have is lotion and i'm at work nothing it helping. can't wait to get home and get my aloe. I've applied aloe at least once a day sometimes 2 or 3 times for the last 5 days still started to peel and it's still red and hurts. Anyone had it start itching while it was still burned before?
Ok just got my first really bad burn 5 days ago. I'm 31 the area is still red/burned and it's pealing this morning it started to itch like crazy about a hour ago scratching helps for a few seconds then it gets worse all I have is lotion and i'm at work nothing it helping. can't wait to get home and get my aloe. I've applied aloe at least once a day sometimes 2 or 3 times for the last 5 days still started to peel and it's still red and hurts. Anyone had it start itching while it was still burned before?
I empathize for everyone. Like he said, don't touch it and it'll feel better. I'm having an unbearable itch that I can't scratch because the burn is still sensitive, so scratching it will make it feel worse. If i do what he said in his blog, it goes away
REMEDY FOUND: Sudocreme!
It's diaper-rash cream for babies. I applied some (thin layer) yesterday, while in full itch, and it basically took 5 minutes and I haven't scratched since. AMAZING!
Try taking some ibuprofen. It subsides most of the pain And reduces the desire to itch.
I made the mistake of sitting out in the sun during a garage sale... I'm on a lot of medications which makes my skin even more susceptible to burning. All the front of my legs and my shoulders and chest are burned. I just spent an hour with my mom who rubbed/helped me scratch them with a mixture aloe and Silvadene (Silver Sulfadiazine) and some of this Mary Kay Night Cream stuff. I had taken some benadryl and and was hoping to fall asleep while my mom rubbed my legs with a wet washcloth as I writhed in pain. Eventually my gramma showed up and we eventually put icepacks on my legs wich seemed to help until I finally passed out.
My mom has always used Silvadine because she says that's what they use in the burn unit... It helps heal like WONDERS, however I have a reaction to it, or it has a reaction to me or my sweat or something that makes it turn black after awhile, which isn't very attractive but it does help.
I keep feeling random twitches of itching right now and I'm terrified it's going to come back.
Thanks for all the advice everyone!
I am currently going through this painful itch. I had heard of sunburns being itchy before, but never this bad. I laid out by the pool for about four hours on Saturday, thinking I had applied enough sunscreen to by back in order to avoid getting burned. Boy was I wrong. My entire back was a hot pink color. It didn't hurt at first, but the next day it felt like any other sunburn, so I didn't think anything of it. Earlier today, Monday, after I showered, that's when all hell broke loose. God if only I had found this site before, I would have known not to shower!!! I've been sitting her, writhing in pain for the past 8 hours now. I've taken Ibuprofen, Zyrtec, applied lotion, aloe, nothing seems to be working. I only pray this goes away soon, as it is now going to be 5:30am and I see no signs of sleep in my near future. I would never wish this pain upon anyone!
I just went through this last night. The unbearable itching started roughly 48 hours after I first exposed myself to the sun.
Read the article and helped give me solace that I was not alone on this. My wife though I was being dramatic/crazy.
I tried cortisone, aloe gel, aloe spray, moisturing lotions, and advil. Nothing worked. Finally I saw someone say they tried baby power and it ended up working for me. It put out the fire almost instantly. After the vicodin kicked in, I was able to get some sleep.
Thanks!
I just went through this last night. The unbearable itching started roughly 48 hours after I first exposed myself to the sun.
Read the article and helped give me solace that I was not alone on this. My wife though I was being dramatic/crazy.
I tried cortisone, aloe gel, aloe spray, moisturing lotions, and advil. Nothing worked. Finally I saw someone say they tried baby power and it ended up working for me. It put out the fire almost instantly. After the vicodin kicked in, I was able to get some sleep.
Thanks!
As a preface, know that you MUST stay calm. During my ordeal, I was actually contemplating knocking myself out with a hammer and jumping out the window.
Keep in your head that PAIN IS TEMPORARY. Things will get better. We are human, and humans can heal from a vast majority of very severe injuries, as long as you don't kill yourself from impatience and lack of courage.
Currently I'm suffering through this right now. AGAIN. This happened last year, but I'm an idiot and thought I was a big tough guy. Well the sun is the bigger bully and always will be. Especially nowadays, since we have no atmosphere.
It seems the consensus is that it begins 48 hours after exposure, which rings true in my experience.
EVERY BODY is different, and we all have our own remedies. Between twitching and dancing around in pain / itchiness, take the time to read a bunch of these other people's horrible experiences.
For MY BODY, the thing that worked was an ice cold shower, followed immediately by as much aloe gel as I could put on without having it run down my back. Let it dry a few minutes, then put a shirt on.
Oh yes, this last shower I took, I was getting bored standing there so I decided to experiment.
There was a bottle of body soap with vitamins A, D, and E.
Put some on, let it soak, rinsed it off. Stood out of the water... Within 10 seconds, itching. Read the ingredients?
Alcohol.
Next up was a pine tar dandruff shampoo.
Put some on, let it soak, rinsed it off. Stood out of the water... Within 10 seconds, itching. Read the ingredients?
Alcohol.
Next up, coconut fuckin' hair conditioner. Packed with oils, extracts, vitamins, coconuts, NO ALCOHOL.
Put some on, let it soak, rinsed it off. Stood out of the water...
Nothing?
WOW!
OK, RUN! GET TO THE ALOE.
Aloe on, shirt on, beer in hand, weed in lungs, and I've been sitting here on the computer for two hours. No issues. A slight tickling every now and then, but compared to suicide-worthy torture, I'll take it!
Something I did earlier which may or may not have been a good idea was to take an Allegra, followed by downing my favorite beer. The packaging and website only state that alcohol can make the dizziness side-effect more prevalent. That's it. It doesn't even say to not do it. It's pretty much telling you if you want to get drunker quicker in allergy season, take me! And that's what happened. I got drunk, very fast, and that was an amazing help.
You may think other people and myself are joking about getting drunk to ease the pain. Have you ever seen those old war movies, when they are about to cut the dudes femur in half with a wood saw? What do they always give the guy?
A flask of MOONSHINE!
But seriously people, be careful, and know your limits. We're trying to survive here. That's the point of you reading this.
I have been drinking 500 ml / .5 L / 16 oz of water every hour. My pee is still a bit brown so I could actually raise that amount. You want it to be very light straw colored so you know you're hydrated.
I can only sleep 4 hours before my body gets dehydrated, then begins itching again. Wake up, chug a liter of WATER, long shower, aloe, shirt, beer, bong hit, chug another liter of water, back to sleep.
The importance of HYDRATION, aka, DRINKING WATER, can not be stressed enough.
We are what? Like, 98% water or some shizz like that? Think about it. DRINK THE EFFIN' WATER.
Yeah, ok so the beer is kicking in, and it's 6 am on a Wednesday. I only got 4 hours of sleep, so cut me some slack here.
Time to go to sleep for 4 more hours!
Good luck and don't kill yourself.
PS:
Actually MOST IMPORTANTLY is to laugh about it. It keeps your spirits up, keeps your mind off the itch, and keeps your family and peers from thinking you're completely lunatic due to the dancing and screaming.
My mother and I both got a case of the sunburn itch, and my lord it is the worst pain I have ever felt, at first my mother couldn't believe how bad it was, then she got it too.
The only thing we found that helped the pain was calamine lotion along with aloe gel and drinking plenty of water and orange juice.
Hope you all get well soon.
Just got this a couple of days ago...Peppermint OIL seriously helped (vinegar and aloe did not help take away or lessen the itch). It did not take it away completely but greatly reduced the crazy intensity.
I haven't read all of the responses, but I have read many. I've had this crazy itch that no one understands unless they've experienced it four times now. Apparently, I don't quite learn my lesson, which is crazy considering how bad this itch is. The sunburn doesn't bother me at all really, especially compared to the itch. I figured I should post what has worked for me and it works quite quickly. I've tried the moisturizers, aloe, and vinegar, but they only seemed to make it worse. Regular Noxzema worked for me and it is cheap. Cake it on and just let it dry. Do not wash it off. This is the only thing that allowed me to keep my sanity. I hope it will work for some of you as well.
I have had this "Sunburn Itch" 3 times in my life. The first time when I was 14. I am now 22 and I almost never stay in the sun leaving my back exposed for long periods of time to avoid this. Everyone thought I was crazy including my doctor. In the past year, both my brother and now my boyfriend have gotten this (now they understand that I wasn't crazy). I wouldn't wish it on anyone. It is truly the worst thing I have ever gone through (3 times too- I guess it took 3 times to learn my lesson).
I think relief comes to people in different ways. Not everything works for everybody, so you just have to try. Good luck. Here is a list of the things I have heard from people.
Things to Try:
cortaid cream
cortaid spray
cortizone cream
caladryl
benedryl
steroid shot
still (not moving) pressure
REALLY REALLY hot shower
REALLY cold shower
DO NOT ITCH
stay still
try to engage yourself in another activity to concentrate on something else (nearly impossible I know, but once you start it helps a lot)
I'm sure there are other things that have worked for people too. I feel everyone's pain on this one. It truly is terrible. Good luck.
I got burnt so bad on my back and shoulders that I currently have some pretty serious sun blisters on both shoulders which is a terrible spot to get them. I thought it couldn't get much worse but then the itching started. It is driving me absolutely mad right now! The other thing that sucks is that I actually put a lot of sunscreen on before going out.
This is the second time I have had this hell. The best description I have heard so far was the comparison to a fire ant bite. That is dead on except that it lasts way longer and covers your entire chest, back etc...
Mine started the first time today when I sprayed on spray aloe and then again this evening when i took my sweaty shirt off from the gym. This evening I took a shower which made it worse, and then i got out freaking out losing my mind and lathered myself up in banana boat aloe after sun. I laid a rough towel over my stomach and chest and rubbed. It helped with the itch by allowing me to itch without ripping my skin off. I could eventually take the towel off and just laid there reading these posts letting the fan blow on me. Once the itching was done, I lathered up again and put on a t-shirt. So far so good, its only 9 o'clock we'll see how tonight goes.
I tried explaining to my wife the pain but I ended up just reading her the posts from here. Worst crap I have ever dealt with.
The only thing that worked for me-finally after 3 weeks from the burn, was lanolin covered with plastic wrap and an ice bag to top it off! Also pain pills I'd saved from a previous surgery-I could finally sleep-do NOT scratch or use hot water or anything that will irritate the skin further- it is very dry and trying to heal!!!
Ok my fellow pale-pigmented friends, here is a solution I discovered in desperation. I've been burned several times before and never seem to learn my lesson. Through trying anything to relieve the hell of sun burn itch here is what I've discovered.
1. As soon as you realize that you've been baked try to find a bottle of mineral water and splash it on your skin, letting it dry on its own. This will relieve the initial burn. You'll think you're in the clear and all is great again until...
2. The torture of skin that feels like it is tearing itself inside out sets in. Everyone here says do not take a shower. I started to think about different things people said, that it has to do with cells regenerating in the skin or severely dehydrated skin, someone mentioned standing in the shower for an hour and it helped.
Go into the shower and saturate the area. You want the pores to open up to absorb moisture. Next, before drying off you're going to cover the area and massage a certain lotion into your skin while still wet. My thought was that the lotion would help trap in the moisture. I used palmer's Cocoa Butter massage lotion for Stretch Marks. (It is sold with this description- my wife uses it).
Pat dry your skin. Do not wipe it off with the towel. Put on a clean soft T shirt and relish in relief.
I also did this on spot areas such as the top of my foot and knees. When it starts itching again, wet the area, run the lotion into the skin and let it dry.
This Palmer's lotion has as its active ingredients Vitamin E, Collagen, Elastin and Shea Butter and Bio C-Elast which contains Centella Asiatica, Sweet Almond Oil and Argan Oil in addition to the previously listed ingredients. Perhaps another lotion with some of these ingredients would work as well.
This really worked for me, it could probably work for you too.
Wow, I didn't believe anyone ever went through what I went through. I've had this happen to me three times over the past year, it's stupid, should've worn sun-screen, but after the third time, last summer, I told myself: never again!
Because I never found anything to relieve this extremely psychotic, uncontrollable ITCH, that won't go away. I tried going in and out of the shower twenty-five times a day, sitting with my hands clogged in fists outside in the wind, and got some pharmacy-product, which only made it worse, because I had to apply it - by hand.
Lesson learned, at least for me: DON'T TOUCH IT! Put a t-shirt on, and don't touch it. Get your mind on something else, heck, read all 500+ posts on this blog through, just to get it on something else. What worked best for me, was laying on my back, hands closed in fists with my blanket, and just doing NOTHING, just trying to fall to sleep. And pray, that the next morning, it would be away. Couldn't do anything else than wait it out, because nothing else worked. Just TRY and keep that mind clear, it's extremely hard, but in a couple of days, it'll be over. I KNOW how you feel!
Holy freaking crap, my husband has been struck down with this accursed sun rash on the 3rd day of a 7 day vacation... I am pretty much ready to say that it has ruined our vacation. It started out with some store brand spray on sunscreen, which clearly did not work... now, where the skin was not adequately covered with the crappy spray, he now has a welted rash and he is crawling the walls with an unbearable itch. Oddly, the burn is very mild and he has had worse without said itch. He went running for 30 mins the day he got the mild burn, and the itch started mid day the following day. As the author of the original blog mentioned, my husband innoncently began rubbing his back around on his beach towel, only to find it worsened the itch and welting. We have now spent about $40 USD on aloe, lotion, and liquid Benadryl from the hotel shop... all in unison with Aleve and loads of water... to no avail. Have also tried a cold compress, didnt work, nor did repeated showers, swims in the ocean and pool, and laying in the breeze. All of which, after reading the posts on this blog, were probably a bad idea! Anyway, I am in the hotel lobby taking a break from his tormented groaning, muttered prayers, and glazed, zombie like looks. At first, I thought he was overreacting, but by judging from the posts on this blog, I dont think he is. He is describing the sensation as akin to being stung by a swarm of mosquitos, over and over and over again. God have mercy on my husband and my vacation, which I think is basically shot to hell at this point. As other posters mentioned, it is a very helpless and frustrating feeling when you or your companion becomes ill while on vacation, especially overseas, and there is nothing that can be done, other than wait it out and mourn the loss of your vacation. Okay, time to stop whining and go back to the room to check on the Baron Itchy von Scratchenheimer.
Dear God in Heaven, I beg you for mercy: PLEASE STOP THE PAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My itching started about 48 hours after I started my sun exposure, and four hours later, I had to go to the emergency room. I waited for 90 minutes in torturous pain. The Dr. gave me a shot of prednisone and toradol (NSAID). It was tolerable for about an hour. Then it came back. I'm on Tylenol with Codeine, prednisone pills, 800mg of ibuprofen, and as many diphenhydrameine (antihistamine). It still comes and goes. It's 1:14 am now, and the last four hours have been horrible. I took another dose about an hour ago, and it seems to just now help. Jesus, Mohammed, Krishna, Buddha, and any other Supreme Divine being. Please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Revised from my last post
So, a few months ago I decide to go swimming with my friends. We have fun, but towards the end, i notice a red sun burn that causes quite substantial amounts of pain. It's annoying, but i can live with it, so long as i put some aloe on it.
How wrong I was.
Whether it was an allergy from the sun, or the aloe, all i knew was the UNGODLY HELL itches that occurred right after I left the shower for a second time. Not even the hot water of the shower could counteract the itching i had on my chest.
Fortunately, i put teabags on my chest that quickly made the itching pains subside. I was quite happy that this was over and done with.
How wrong was I.
About 6 hours later, I felt an itch on my back. It felt like it wasn't on a sun burnt area, and so I scratched it.
How dumb was I.
I took a bath in my trunks, using tea, baking soda, vinegar, lotions, oils, and all of these things to remedy the HELL ITCH. I am not joking when I say that I was crying and shrieking at the unavoidable pain. It feels as if you are being burnt by inextinguishable fire. Surprisingly, the bath remedy momentarily worked, and I was glad that pizza was being made, so that I would distract myself from the itch came it again.
About an hour later, I WAS THE MOST HYSTERICAL PERSON YOU'D HAVE EVER KNOWN! Fiery pains erupted through my back, and not even tea could stop the horrendous, terrifying pain in my back.
We frantically tried everything we could to stop this unbearable atrocity, finding surprising relief in vinegar doused paper towels.
For those of you struggling, here are some tips.
1. Keep your mind focused off of the itches, this is difficult, and I admit to not being able to, but try thinking of something exciting or cool along with it.
2. Take deep breaths, and try to sleep as much as possible. Lowering your blood pressure will keep it from rushing to the sun burnt areas more.
3. Use benadryl and tylenol at every possible oppurtunity, as these are major healing factors.
4. Drink lots of water. The itch you feel is your body regenerating cells harmed in the sunburn, and when you are moisturized, especially from the inside, then it can heal either quicker or with less pain.
5. NEVER SCRATCH THE ITCH, YOU'RE EGGING IT ON WHEN YOU DO THAT!
6. Don't shower while under the effects of the itch. The hard water mixed with heat or coolness only grants temporary relief, but actually wipes away the oils that can keep your skin moist.
7. Don't use creams, even the moisturizing ones do not get rid of the itch.
8. Try to keep laughing or sympathizing with others, even on this blog.
9. A good remedy to use is to take strips of paper towels and soak them in vinegar. This may initially make it worse, but it slowly makes its way back up to normal itch, and in most cases, takes it away completely.
10. Apply pressure to the sunburnt area by way of a tight shirt or a towel. Do not rub the itch when doing so.
Good luck to you all. And to the strugglers, I can feel your pain
I just went through this for the 3rd time. (really though I would have learned by now). The itch is NOT bearable. I felt like jumping out a window and the only temporary relief I got was to jump in the shower. As others have stated, once you get out - it gets worse. But I chose the shower over the window.
I tried everything on this site and what it came down to was simple.
What finally got me through the 2 days it took to heal was a self induced haze.
Step 1: call out of work (you will not be available)
Step 2: take 75-100 mg's of Benadryl (I weigh 210 lbs)
Step 3: Take a few shots and drink a few beers
Step 4: Smoke a joint
Step 5: Do not move. Lay on your couch and try not to move a muscle. Even lifting my arm caused the itch to come back
Step 6: Repeat the above as needed and try to anticipate when the itch will return and dose in advance. I took 50 mg's of Benadryl every 3-4 hours.
Step 7: drink lots of water.
Put a long sleeve shirt on as well. Try not to shower (only as a very last resort if you feel you are loosing your mind and use hydrating body wash with no alcohol).
Also found that if I felt it coming back I would power walk laps around my house to keep my mind off of it. Do not itch the itch. You can try to put pressure on the itch spots but this will likely result in the itch spreading again. It's a constant fight of mind over matter. Once you give in to the itch, it will consume you. As long as I was basically numb, it was gone and I tried to sleep through it until it was gone.
After 2 days - it's mostly gone and I am back at work. Will never forget to use sunscreen again.
I have nothing to add, really, except I greatly appreciate the distraction this blog has offered. Admittedly some of it has helped or at least made me laugh (i.e. comments like "pray for the end" and it only lasts 24-48 hours), and some of it has fueled my rage (the lady who said she's on day 7, while I feel sorry for her, should be murdered for taking away any hope the rest of us have about this going away in a reasonable amount of time).
People, I know about sunburn. For godsakes I'm a REDHEAD who lives in the desert (AZ). But with this itch, I'm rapidly approaching fist-through-the-wall insanity.
I'm drinking the water - I'm layering on the Aloe - and I'm about to pop two benadryl in the middle of the day because I haven't slept in a couple days. (Sunburn occured Sunday, itch became unbearable Tuesday, and now it is Wednesday morning and the lack of sleep has made me completely delirious.)
WIshing you all the best of luck, as I attempt to avoid murder, suicide, or calling "Buffalo Bill" (from Silence of the Lambs) and asking him to skin me.
- DAN in AZ
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