With summer just around the corner, sunburn season will soon be in full swing. Even if you're diligent about applying the best sunscreen, it's easy to miss a spot or two, resulting in a painful sunburn. If you discover that your skin is red and achy after absorbing too many rays, try these home remedies to cool the burn and promote healing:

* Use cold, damp compresses on burned areas. Not only will they help cool the burn, they'll also reduce swelling and inflammation. Some sunburn victims swear by a cool solution of half water and half milk for the compresses.

* Take over-the-counter pain meds like Tylenol.

* Relax in a cool bath. Don't scrub sunburned areas, and avoid shaving affected areas.

* Avoid using alcohol on sunburned skin.

* An OTC cortisone cream might help relieve burning and itching.

* Keep natural aloe plants around the house for first aid. Break a frond open, squeeze out the clear jell, and apply it to your burn. For even more relief, refrigerate the fronds for an hour or so before application for a wonderful cooling sensation.

* If you use a commercial moisturizer, find one that's alcohol free and fragrance free. Try using one of the after-sun moisturizers.

* This sunburn concoction came from a doctor at a Florida beach, and it works great: Pour one cup of Maalox into a blender, and add four aspirin. Grind until the aspirin dissolves. Place the contents in the refrigerator until it gets nice and cold. Apply liberally to sunburned skin. Do not the aspirin-concoction on children under the age of 18.

* Drink plenty of water. Your skin needs proper hydration, and after being in the sun, it can get dehydrated. You need to replace the lost fluid by drinking lots of water.

* If you have a serious sunburn, like one with water blisters, you need to seek the advice of a health professional. He might prescribe topical antibiotics to prevent infections. A severe sunburn can cause shock and sun poisoning, which can result in death. This is nothing to play around with! Your doctor might prescribe oral cortisone and strong pain relievers for several days. In addition, a hospital stay might be required, where IV fluids might be administered to combat dehydration.

Of course, all of this can be avoided with some common sense. Stay out of the sun during the peak UV period - from 10 am to 3 pm. If you have to be outside then, cover up where you can, and use a good quality sunscreen on exposed areas. If you're going to be in and out of the water, use a waterproof sunscreen and re-apply frequently.