Even though it’s a whopping 90 million miles away, the sun can give you an itchy, painful burn in a matter of minutes. And even though we’d never place our hand on a hot iron or stovetop, many people still don’t take the precautions that prevent sunburns.

Statistics published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that more than one-third of American adults had a sunburn in 2004. In most cases, people who were sunburned had more than one burn that year.

You’re probably familiar with the steps that will prevent sunburn: Staying inside or under shade during the heat of the day, wearing long clothing and a hat, and applying sunscreen early and often. But if the sun still manages to reach out and leave you with a burn, here’s how to treat it, with advice from the Mayo Clinic:

• Cool it off. Dampen a towel with cool water and place it against your skin, or slide into a cool bath.
• Moisturize your skin with aloe or moisturizing cream. Steer clear of products containing alcohol, since these can make your dried-out skin even drier, and avoid products containing skin-numbing ingredients such as benzocaine. Hydrocortisone cream, however, may help you heal faster.
• As tempted as you may be, don’t pop blisters. You could get an infection. Cover them lightly with gauze if you need to protect them.
• Take an anti-inflammatory medicine to relieve pain, such as aspirin or Advil (but be careful when giving aspirin to children or teenagers, since in some cases it can put them at risk for a serious problem called Reye’s syndrome).
• Drink a lot of water. You may lose more moisture through your skin when you have a sunburn. Getting enough water will help ensure that your body has enough fluid to keep working well while it heals.