“The best way to deal with a sunburn is to prevent it in the first place. Sunburns are one of the main factors that – over a long period of time – can turn a benign mole or freckle into a skin cancer. So, the concern and the reason why we always, as dermatologists, talk about sunscreen is to prevent skin cancer. What do you do if you do get a sunburn? The best thing to do is to apply either aloe vera gel or cool compresses and to see a dermatologist if you can be seen early enough. If you have a topical steroid at home, such as a Cortizone 10 (over-the-counter), that is an anti-inflammatory that works best for sunscreens. I would say it’s even better than cool compresses and aloe vera gel. So Cortizone 10, if you don’t have a prescription, Cortizone at home is a good place to start.”
Tamara Lazic Strugar, MD, is a board certified dermatologist at Mount Sinai Doctors, seeing patients Tuesday-Thursday. She has a particular interest in eczema, psoriasis, acne, warts, skin cancers, medical and surgical treatment of skin disorders, and a wide variety of cosmetic procedures, including Botox, fillers, microneedling, chemical peels. Dr. Lazic Strugar is fluent in Serbian and Spanish. She knows basic Italian. Mount Sinai Doctors is an organization of clinical relationships and multi-specialty services that expand the Mount Sinai Health System’s footprint beyond the seven main hospital campuses into the greater New York City area.