You screwed up and actually burned your skin when you spent the entire day outdoors. Sure, you may have slathered on some sunscreen, but this may not have been enough. Instead of reprimanding yourself, you can choose to do something about it. You may have aged your skin by a couple of months, but as long as you know that you need to be more careful the next time around, you can also fix some of the damaged you caused. You need to come up with a rescue plan, and lucky for you, you do have options available right now.

If it hurts and your skin is swollen, you need to take aspirin or ibuprofen. These meds work by reducing inflammation, which means that they ease the irritation and redness that are your body's first responses to a serious burn. The catch is, you have to take them within 24 hours of getting fried. Otherwise, the redness can actually cause permanent damage.

Then, you need to moisturize like crazy. Lotion infused with an anti-inflammatory like aloe vera will decrease the flakiness you are likely to experience, as the redness from your bad burn turns into peeling and itchy skin. Slather it on as often as possible because it'll feel cool and soothing. After that, don't forget to use sunscreen religiously. Blocking UV light exposure gives skin time to heal and your immune system a chance to repair some of the damage. In fact, experts suggest that zealously using sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 can keep precancerous cell changes you've already racked up from progressing.

Don't forget to exfoliate the area as well. Once your burned skin has completely healed, exfoliate the affected area with an over-the-counter alpha hydroxyl acid cleanser twice a week for a month. This will stimulate the growth of new, healthy skin cells and also eradicate the dead ones that are making your skin tone look blotchy and uneven. And you can even apply a skin renewal cream. As you age, the capacity of your skin to renew cells decelerates. A power ingredient like folic acid increases skin cell renewal, so your skin heals much faster. Apply on the cream on your sun-damaged neck, face, and arms.

Another option would be to get the burn lasered. If you have chronic sun damage, consider laser or intense pulse light treatments at your dermatologist's clinic. Both penetrate your skin, erasing discoloration, wrinkles, and blotchiness. You may have to shell out more money, but this is the most effective fix available for you.

Vacations can be so much better if you know how to take care of yourself and the skin you have. As much as possible, try to prevent skin burn rather than preparing yourself for the repercussions. Caring for your skin should be a priority right now, because if you do, you'll reap the benefits when you grow older. Trust the experts when they say that the sun is more dangerous now because of the depleting ozone layer. Harmful UVA and UVB rays are now entering the planet, and when these touch your skin, your chances of premature aging and skin cancer increase significantly.