From the Research
Silver cream is not recommended for treating sunburn. For sunburn treatment, it's better to use aloe vera gel, moisturizers with ingredients like soy or colloidal oatmeal, or over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream (0.5-1%) applied thinly to affected areas up to twice daily for a few days. Take cool baths, drink plenty of water, and use pain relievers like ibuprofen (400-600mg every 6-8 hours with food) or acetaminophen (650mg every 4-6 hours) to reduce pain and inflammation. Silver-containing creams like silver sulfadiazine are primarily designed for burn wounds and infections, not sunburn. They can potentially delay healing of superficial burns, cause skin discoloration, and may lead to antibiotic resistance with prolonged use. Simple moisturizing and anti-inflammatory treatments are more appropriate for the superficial damage caused by sunburn.
Treatment Options
- Aloe vera gel: can be applied to affected areas to help soothe and moisturize the skin 1
- Moisturizers: with ingredients like soy or colloidal oatmeal can help to reduce inflammation and promote healing
- Over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream: (0.5-1%) applied thinly to affected areas up to twice daily for a few days can help to reduce inflammation and itching 2
- Cool baths: can help to reduce pain and inflammation
- Pain relievers: like ibuprofen (400-600mg every 6-8 hours with food) or acetaminophen (650mg every 4-6 hours) can help to reduce pain and inflammation
Avoiding Silver Cream
Silver-containing creams like silver sulfadiazine are not recommended for sunburn treatment as they can potentially delay healing of superficial burns, cause skin discoloration, and may lead to antibiotic resistance with prolonged use. The most effective and practical approach to acute sunburn is symptomatic treatment of UV light-induced symptoms, including erythema, pain and pruritus 3.
Evidence-Based Approach
A review of the literature found that there is no consensus on an algorithm for the treatment of sunburn, and most studies concluded that pharmacologic agents were ineffective at decreasing recovery time 3. A study published in 2002 found that topical glucocorticosteroids were safe and effective in the treatment of sunburn, but this is not the most recent or highest quality study 2. The most recent and highest quality study found that simple moisturizing and anti-inflammatory treatments are more appropriate for the superficial damage caused by sunburn 3.