Several years ago, we spent a wonderful week at our favorite Florida beach, or at least it was wonderful until my fair-complexioned Irish husband suffered a severe sunburn under the scorching rays of the August sun. After that, he spent the rest of the week in terrible pain, unable to enjoy anything.

The sunburn was actually accidental. He wasn't "working on his tan." We knew how his white skin reacted to the sun, so we decided to take our boat out early one morning to fish for just an hour or so, before the burning rays had a chance to harm him.

We put the little bass boat in a tidal creek and proceded to fish, gradually moving farther and farther downstream. We pulled up on a sandbar to have a snack and enjoy the gorgeous scenery. Soon, we decided to head back in. Unfortunately, the motor did not cooperate. We remained stranded for most of the day on the sandbar, with no shade, no sunscreen, and no hat. Finally, friends came to rescue us late that afternoon.

I was a little pink, but hubby was literally crimson. By the time we got back to our condo, he was in extreme pain and was so ill he was throwing up and suffered from a horrendous headache. He couldn't stand anything to touch his skin. He felt like he was on fire when I touched him, so I couldn't even imagine how it felt to him. I finally talked him into a trip to the local emergency room. Since we were on an island, I figured the doctors would be experts at treating sunburn.

The doctor on call examined hubby and gave him an injection for pain and some oral steroids. I was shocked to learn that the sun had actually caused second degree burns on parts of my husband's body. The physician told us to use cool compresses and lotion containing aloe vera, and to drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration. Then he gave us a wonderful recipe for a concoction we still use for sunburns: place Maalox and aspirin in a blender and create a thin paste. Place it in the refrigerator until cool, and apply liberally to the skin. This really seemed to help!

For the next few days, my sunburn victim was pretty miserable. He had water blisters on his face and arms, and went through periods of fever and chills. You can bet he never went anywhere without a bottle of sunscreen after that experience!

Before this, I never realized how dangerous the sun can be. A few victims have actually had to have surgery for severe sunburns, having the damaged skin removed and the area covered with "artificial skin." The blisters can lead to infection, and of course, any sunburn increases the chance for malignant melanoma. Doctors report that even 15 minutes of exposure can damage sensitive skin, and sunblock with a minimum SPF of 15 should always be used.

Sunburns are especially harmful to a baby's delicate skin. If a baby is sunburned, don't use the aspirin remedy! Try cool compresses, cool baths, aloe vera gel, and infant-strength acetamenophen for pain. Also, be sure the baby gets plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration. Severe sunburns should always be treated by a doctor.

If you've received a severe sunburn, you'll most likely experience the same symptoms as my husband: skin a deep shade of red, swelling, fever, nausea, headache, and chills. If you're suffering from any of these after unprotected time in the sun, seek medical attention. Your doctor could prevent the sunburn from becoming even more dangerous.

Learn more about this author, Holle Abee.
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