Key TakeawaysHaving a sunburn can be uncomfortable in the short term and can increase your risk of developing certain cancers over time.Eating certain foods after getting sunburnt may relieve your symptoms, help your skin heal faster, and reduce your cancer risk.Foods like carrots, pomegranates, and tomato-based foods have unique health benefits that may help sun-damaged skin.
Key Takeaways
Having a sunburn can be uncomfortable in the short term and can increase your risk of developing certain cancers over time.Eating certain foods after getting sunburnt may relieve your symptoms, help your skin heal faster, and reduce your cancer risk.Foods like carrots, pomegranates, and tomato-based foods have unique health benefits that may help sun-damaged skin.
Wish you could make your sunburns go away faster this summer? Topical solutions likealoe veraandhydrocortisone creamaren’t your only options.
Eating and drinking certain things may support the healing process, though your diet won’t make or break your sunburn recovery.
Here are five foods that offer unique benefits for sunburned skin.
Home Remedies for a Sunburn
Carrots
Nick Fewings/Unsplash
Carrots are one of the best foods to eat if you have a sunburn thanks to the beta carotene in the vegetable.
Beta carotene is acarotenoidthat’s naturally found in many foods that are (naturally) orange and yellow. Along with carrots, sweet potatoes and cantaloupe also contain this key carotenoid. Non-orange foods likegreen leafy vegetables(like spinach) are also good sources of beta carotene.
Fermented Milk
Jill Wellington/Pexels
Milk fermented with lactic acid bacteria has been shown to amplify DNA repair and improveskin immunityafter a sunburn.
If your fermented milk drink also containscollagen hydrolysates, it may further promote healthy skin.
100% Orange Juice Fortified With Vitamin D
Bru-nO/Pixabay
Fortified, 100% orange juicecan provide 15% of your daily recommended value ofvitamin D. The drink also gives you a boost of hydration, antioxidants, and polyphenols.
Research has shown that polyphenols may decrease the damaging effects of ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation on the skin.
Dietary vitamin D has been shown to rapidly relieveinflammationfrom sunburns.
Studies have also shown that getting plenty of citrus in your diet (including OJ) is linked to a lower risk of developingbasal cell carcinoma(a type of skin cancer).
Study: 100% Orange Juice May Fight Inflammation
Tomato-Based Dishes
The Spruce Eats / Preethi Venkatram
Enjoying a dish made with tomato paste is a delicious and satisfying way to support your skin health at any time, but might be especially helpful post-sunburn.
Tomato paste containslycopene, a carotenoid that can offer skin protection.
In one study, people who ate 55 grams of tomato paste with 10 grams ofolive oildaily over 12 weeks had less UV exposure-inducedskin reddening(erythema) than people who did not include tomato paste in their diets.
Other studies have found that tomato consumption may helpreduce the risk of certain cancers.
Pomegranate
The Spruce / Michelle Becker
Pomegranatesare a rich source of polyphenolics, which may have anti-inflammatory,antioxidant, and anti-cancer benefits.
The fruit may also help you heal a sunburn. In one study, both pomegranate juice and pomegranate extract were more effective than placebo in increasing the minimal dose of UVB required to induce erythema, highlighting the protective effects of pomegranate against UVB-induced cell damage.
Health Risks of SunburnsShort-term sunburn side effects include inflammation, itching, and peeling.In the long term, getting a sunburn can increase your risk of developingskin cancer.Frequent sun exposure can also lead towrinklesandbrown spotson certain skin tones.
Health Risks of Sunburns
Short-term sunburn side effects include inflammation, itching, and peeling.In the long term, getting a sunburn can increase your risk of developingskin cancer.Frequent sun exposure can also lead towrinklesandbrown spotson certain skin tones.
Short-term sunburn side effects include inflammation, itching, and peeling.
In the long term, getting a sunburn can increase your risk of developingskin cancer.Frequent sun exposure can also lead towrinklesandbrown spotson certain skin tones.
Preventing a Sunburn
Eating well can help you feel better after a sunburn, but it’s much better to try to keep from gettingtoo much sun exposurein the first place.
What This Means For YouIncluding certain foods and beverages in your diet after you get a sunburn may support skin healing in the short term and even help lower your risk of long-term consequences like skin cancer. That said, the best thing you can do for your skin and overall health is to prevent sunburns.
What This Means For You
Including certain foods and beverages in your diet after you get a sunburn may support skin healing in the short term and even help lower your risk of long-term consequences like skin cancer. That said, the best thing you can do for your skin and overall health is to prevent sunburns.
11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Balić A, Mokos M.Do we utilize our knowledge of the skin protective effects of carotenoids enough?Antioxidants (Basel). 2019;8(8):259. doi:10.3390/antiox8080259Stahl W, Sies H.β-Carotene and other carotenoids in protection from sunlight.Am J Clin Nutr. 2012;96(5):1179S-84S. doi:10.3945/ajcn.112.034819Morifuji M.The beneficial role of functional food components in mitigating ultraviolet-induced skin damage.Exp Dermatol. 2019;28(Suppl 1):28-31. doi:10.1111/exd.13825Skin Cancer Foundation.Sunburn & your skin.Saric S, Sivamani RK.Polyphenols and sunburn.Int J Mol Sci. 2016;17(9):1521. doi:10.3390/ijms17091521Scott JF, Das LM, Ahsanuddin S, Qiu Y, et al.Oral vitamin D rapidly attenuates inflammation from sunburn: an interventional study.J Invest Dermatol. 2017;137(10):2078-2086. doi:10.1016/j.jid.2017.04.040Wu S, Cho E, Feskanich D, et al.Citrus consumption and risk of basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the skin.Carcinogenesis. 2015;36(10):1162-8. doi:10.1093/carcin/bgv109Rizwan M, Rodriguez-Blanco I, Harbottle A, Birch-Machin MA, Watson RE, Rhodes LE.Tomato paste rich in lycopene protects against cutaneous photodamage in humans in vivo: a randomized controlled trial.Br J Dermatol. 2011;164(1):154-162. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2133.2010.10057.xCooperstone JL, Tober KL, Riedl KM, et al.Tomatoes protect against development of UV-induced keratinocyte carcinoma via metabolomic alterations.Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):5106. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-05568-7Henning SM, Yang J, Lee RP, et al.Pomegranate juice and extract consumption increases the resistance to UVB-induced erythema and changes the skin microbiome in healthy women: a randomized controlled trial.Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):14528. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-50926-2Cao H, Brehm M, Hynan L, Goff HW.Wrinkles, brown spots, and cancer: Relationship between appearance- and health-based knowledge and sunscreen use.J Cosmet Dermatol. 2019;18(2):558-562. doi:10.1111/jocd.12712
11 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Balić A, Mokos M.Do we utilize our knowledge of the skin protective effects of carotenoids enough?Antioxidants (Basel). 2019;8(8):259. doi:10.3390/antiox8080259Stahl W, Sies H.β-Carotene and other carotenoids in protection from sunlight.Am J Clin Nutr. 2012;96(5):1179S-84S. doi:10.3945/ajcn.112.034819Morifuji M.The beneficial role of functional food components in mitigating ultraviolet-induced skin damage.Exp Dermatol. 2019;28(Suppl 1):28-31. doi:10.1111/exd.13825Skin Cancer Foundation.Sunburn & your skin.Saric S, Sivamani RK.Polyphenols and sunburn.Int J Mol Sci. 2016;17(9):1521. doi:10.3390/ijms17091521Scott JF, Das LM, Ahsanuddin S, Qiu Y, et al.Oral vitamin D rapidly attenuates inflammation from sunburn: an interventional study.J Invest Dermatol. 2017;137(10):2078-2086. doi:10.1016/j.jid.2017.04.040Wu S, Cho E, Feskanich D, et al.Citrus consumption and risk of basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the skin.Carcinogenesis. 2015;36(10):1162-8. doi:10.1093/carcin/bgv109Rizwan M, Rodriguez-Blanco I, Harbottle A, Birch-Machin MA, Watson RE, Rhodes LE.Tomato paste rich in lycopene protects against cutaneous photodamage in humans in vivo: a randomized controlled trial.Br J Dermatol. 2011;164(1):154-162. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2133.2010.10057.xCooperstone JL, Tober KL, Riedl KM, et al.Tomatoes protect against development of UV-induced keratinocyte carcinoma via metabolomic alterations.Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):5106. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-05568-7Henning SM, Yang J, Lee RP, et al.Pomegranate juice and extract consumption increases the resistance to UVB-induced erythema and changes the skin microbiome in healthy women: a randomized controlled trial.Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):14528. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-50926-2Cao H, Brehm M, Hynan L, Goff HW.Wrinkles, brown spots, and cancer: Relationship between appearance- and health-based knowledge and sunscreen use.J Cosmet Dermatol. 2019;18(2):558-562. doi:10.1111/jocd.12712
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Balić A, Mokos M.Do we utilize our knowledge of the skin protective effects of carotenoids enough?Antioxidants (Basel). 2019;8(8):259. doi:10.3390/antiox8080259Stahl W, Sies H.β-Carotene and other carotenoids in protection from sunlight.Am J Clin Nutr. 2012;96(5):1179S-84S. doi:10.3945/ajcn.112.034819Morifuji M.The beneficial role of functional food components in mitigating ultraviolet-induced skin damage.Exp Dermatol. 2019;28(Suppl 1):28-31. doi:10.1111/exd.13825Skin Cancer Foundation.Sunburn & your skin.Saric S, Sivamani RK.Polyphenols and sunburn.Int J Mol Sci. 2016;17(9):1521. doi:10.3390/ijms17091521Scott JF, Das LM, Ahsanuddin S, Qiu Y, et al.Oral vitamin D rapidly attenuates inflammation from sunburn: an interventional study.J Invest Dermatol. 2017;137(10):2078-2086. doi:10.1016/j.jid.2017.04.040Wu S, Cho E, Feskanich D, et al.Citrus consumption and risk of basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the skin.Carcinogenesis. 2015;36(10):1162-8. doi:10.1093/carcin/bgv109Rizwan M, Rodriguez-Blanco I, Harbottle A, Birch-Machin MA, Watson RE, Rhodes LE.Tomato paste rich in lycopene protects against cutaneous photodamage in humans in vivo: a randomized controlled trial.Br J Dermatol. 2011;164(1):154-162. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2133.2010.10057.xCooperstone JL, Tober KL, Riedl KM, et al.Tomatoes protect against development of UV-induced keratinocyte carcinoma via metabolomic alterations.Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):5106. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-05568-7Henning SM, Yang J, Lee RP, et al.Pomegranate juice and extract consumption increases the resistance to UVB-induced erythema and changes the skin microbiome in healthy women: a randomized controlled trial.Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):14528. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-50926-2Cao H, Brehm M, Hynan L, Goff HW.Wrinkles, brown spots, and cancer: Relationship between appearance- and health-based knowledge and sunscreen use.J Cosmet Dermatol. 2019;18(2):558-562. doi:10.1111/jocd.12712
Balić A, Mokos M.Do we utilize our knowledge of the skin protective effects of carotenoids enough?Antioxidants (Basel). 2019;8(8):259. doi:10.3390/antiox8080259
Stahl W, Sies H.β-Carotene and other carotenoids in protection from sunlight.Am J Clin Nutr. 2012;96(5):1179S-84S. doi:10.3945/ajcn.112.034819
Morifuji M.The beneficial role of functional food components in mitigating ultraviolet-induced skin damage.Exp Dermatol. 2019;28(Suppl 1):28-31. doi:10.1111/exd.13825
Skin Cancer Foundation.Sunburn & your skin.
Saric S, Sivamani RK.Polyphenols and sunburn.Int J Mol Sci. 2016;17(9):1521. doi:10.3390/ijms17091521
Scott JF, Das LM, Ahsanuddin S, Qiu Y, et al.Oral vitamin D rapidly attenuates inflammation from sunburn: an interventional study.J Invest Dermatol. 2017;137(10):2078-2086. doi:10.1016/j.jid.2017.04.040
Wu S, Cho E, Feskanich D, et al.Citrus consumption and risk of basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the skin.Carcinogenesis. 2015;36(10):1162-8. doi:10.1093/carcin/bgv109
Rizwan M, Rodriguez-Blanco I, Harbottle A, Birch-Machin MA, Watson RE, Rhodes LE.Tomato paste rich in lycopene protects against cutaneous photodamage in humans in vivo: a randomized controlled trial.Br J Dermatol. 2011;164(1):154-162. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2133.2010.10057.x
Cooperstone JL, Tober KL, Riedl KM, et al.Tomatoes protect against development of UV-induced keratinocyte carcinoma via metabolomic alterations.Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):5106. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-05568-7
Henning SM, Yang J, Lee RP, et al.Pomegranate juice and extract consumption increases the resistance to UVB-induced erythema and changes the skin microbiome in healthy women: a randomized controlled trial.Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):14528. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-50926-2
Cao H, Brehm M, Hynan L, Goff HW.Wrinkles, brown spots, and cancer: Relationship between appearance- and health-based knowledge and sunscreen use.J Cosmet Dermatol. 2019;18(2):558-562. doi:10.1111/jocd.12712
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