Hello. Thanks for writing to us at healthcaremagic
Acute
sunburn can be very painful and discomforting. A sunburn would normally take up to a week to subside.
While
aloe vera, cool bath with oatmeal would calm down the skin a bit but a sunburn would respond best to oral and topical
steroids which are anti-inflammatory. Steroids are anti-inflammatory, act very fast and immediately bring down the swelling and discomfort.
Steroids (oral as well as topical) are prescription drugs, therefore, you need to visit your doctor for a prescription.
If I was the treating doctor I would suggest you to take a short course of an oral steroids.
In addition to the oral steroids I also ask my patients of sunburn to apply a moderately potent topical steroid e.g
fluticasone propionate cream, twice daily for a week.
An OTC pain killer/anti-inflammatory e.g
ibuprofen or aspirin can be taken twice or thrice daily to relieve the pain and discomfort.
Always use a broad spectrum sunscreen, throughout the day.
regards