Urgent Care for Sunburn Treatment Q&A
Sunburn is a painful skin reaction caused by UV rays exposure and can cause redness, pain, swelling, and peeling. Severe cases may cause blisters, fever, and chills. Most sunburns may be treated at home, but severe ones may require medical attention at an urgent care center. At Columbia Clinic Urgent Care, our doctors offer treatment for sunburn. For more information, contact us or book an appointment online. We have convenient locations to serve you at Tibbetts St Portland, Stark Street Portland, and Tigard, OR. We also accept walk-ins.


Table of Contents:
What is a sunburn exactly?
What are the degrees of sunburn?
How do you know when a sunburn is serious?
Should I go to urgent care for a sunburn?
The sun provides energy for all life on Earth and without it, we could not exist. However, too much sun can also lead to health concerns, mainly involving the skin. Excessive sun exposure can cause premature aging of the skin (wrinkles, furrows, and fine lines), sunspots (dark discolorations on the skin), and abnormal growths on the skin, both benign and malignant. The sun’s UV radiation can also lead the skin to produce more melanin, which is colloquially known as a suntan. Often before the skin tans, it becomes sunburnt, which can cause localized pain, sensitivity to heat and touch, peeling skin, and in severe cases, blisters. Sunburns share several symptoms of heat burns.
A sunburn is caused by short wavelengths from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation (UVB). Short wavelengths of UVA can also cause sunburn. Although the symptoms of a heat burn are similar to the symptoms of a sunburn, they are still quite different. When we think of a burn, we often think of heat, but it is not the sun’s heat that burns our skin, it is the ultraviolet radiation that does, which is why it is possible to get sunburned during the winter and cold months. The sun’s ultraviolet radiation—or UV rays—causes damage to the skin: when it reaches the skin, it damages skin cells and causes mutations in the cellular DNA. While our bodies have a lot of amazing mechanisms to prevent and even correct these mutations, if the skin cells get more UV exposure than they can handle, the damage may be beyond repair, causing the cells to die. Blood vessels dilate to improve blood flow and deliver immune cells to the skin. This is the factor that produces the redness, swelling, and soreness that come with a sunburn. Sunburns eventually heal, however, some of the surviving cells can sustain mutations that avoid repair.
Just like burns, there are three degrees of sunburn, including:
First-degree burns have these signs:
• Redness
• Hot to the touch
• Irritation
• Dry
• No blisters or bubbles
Second-degree burns have the same symptoms as first-degree burns, and:
• Swelling
• Severe pain
• Blisters
• Sloughing (the top layer of skin gets away)
• Weeping fluid
Third-degree burns extend into the subcutaneous tissue beneath the dermis and are the most painful type of burn. Symptoms include:
• Black center area
• Dry burn
• Surrounded by second-degree burned skin
Mild sunburn may present the following symptoms:
• Skin feels hot to the touch
• Rubbing causes pain
• Skin looks red and tender
• Feeling dehydrated
• Blisters may appear
• Skin can peel as it heals
Severe sunburn often has the same symptoms as mild to moderate sunburn, just with greater severity. It may also include:
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Rapid pulse and breathing
• Fever
• Chills
• Headaches or confusion
• Dehydration
• Loss of consciousness
• Severe blisters
• Skin feeling very sore and tender
For sunburn, you should see a doctor when:
• The burn is blistering
• It covers an extensive part of the body.
• It is accompanied by fever, nausea, pain, confusion, headache, or chills
• Swelling is increasing
• There is yellow drainage (pus) from open blisters
• There are red streaks leading from open blisters
Sunburn can be hard to avoid. When it happens, come to Columbia Clinic Urgent Care. Our caring and supportive staff have expertise in treating sunburns and can help you heal promptly and effectively. For more information, contact us or book an appointment online. We serve patients from Tibbetts St Portland, Milwaukie OR, Oak Grove OR, Stark Street Portland, Fairview OR, Happy Valley OR, Gladstone OR, Cedar Mill OR, Tibbetts Street Portland OR, West Linn OR, Aloha OR, Tigard OR, Lake Oswego OR, Tualatin OR, Oregon City OR.