Preventing Sunburn from the Inside Out with Aspirin

Fifty years ago, it was hard to avoid sunburn. Sunscreens were crude. The most effective sun blocker, zinc oxide cream, went on ghostly white. It looked funny, though it did keep lifeguards from burning their noses. The best strategy for preventing sunburn was to stay out of the midday sun. My Uncle Leo was a farmer. He had to work outside much of the day. He avoided a burn by wearing long sleeved shirts, overalls and a hat.

These days, preventing sunburn usually means putting something on your skin: high SPF sunscreen, for example. Other strategies include wearing protective clothing and a broad-brimmed hat, a little like Uncle Leo. Dermatologists also encourage most people to avoid intense midday sunlight. That is generally interpreted as 10:00 a.m. till 2:00 p.m.

Can Aspirin Be Helpful for Preventing Sunburn?

People’s Pharmacy readers have been telling us for decades that something taken inside the body may also make a difference. Aspirin, in particular, keeps coming up in their stories.

At first glance, the idea sounds improbable. A pain reliever preventing sunburn? Yet several readers have independently reported remarkably similar experiences. Even more intriguing, researchers have uncovered mechanisms that could help explain why aspirin might reduce some of the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation.

One of the most striking reports comes from a fair-skinned redhead who discovered aspirin’s apparent benefit more than 60 years ago.

A Redhead Discovers Aspirin Against Sunburn

Q. I just read your article on aspirin against sunburn. For some people it may have negative health risks. For me, the aspirin discovery was a life saver.

I’ve been using aspirin for decades. I first read about research being done in England on aspirin and the possible protection from skin cancer over 60 years ago at lunch on a Friday. That same afternoon I needed to spend up to four hours in bright sun with no protection other than my clothes. (Back then, sunscreen wasn’t common.) I took the four recommended aspirin, put on a tank top and went out into the sun.

Of all the people I worked with that June afternoon, I was the only one who did not burn. Why was that so unusual? I am a full Scottish redhead, freckles and all. If I spent more than 15 minutes in the sun without aspirin protection, I would burn. With it, I could spend plenty of time in the sun.

I had a heart attack nearly 20 years ago. One of my prescribed medications remains 81 mg aspirin. Since I have been on a daily low dose, I just do not burn. Even better, I’ve never had any skin cancers.

Why isn’t there more research on a cheap pill that could help protect us from sunburn and skin cancer?

A. You might be surprised to learn that there has been a fair amount of research on the relationship between low-dose aspirin and the risk of skin cancer. Researchers determined that aspirin protects against DNA damage from ultraviolet light (Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Jan. 2023).

A review of insurance records concluded “…that aspirin use was associated with a significantly decreased risk of BCC” [basal cell carcinoma] (World Journal of Oncology, Dec. 2022). Not all studies have been consistent, however.

Anyone taking aspirin on a regular basis must be under medical supervision. There are risks of bleeding and drug interactions. Relying on aspirin alone to prevent a burn is imprudent. Wearing protective clothing and using sunscreen in addition would be wise, especially for vulnerable people.

That would include people with fair skin, anyone who has had skin cancer and people who are taking certain medications. Here is a list of drugs that can make your skin more vulnerable to a burn:

Drugs That Increase Sun Sensitivity and Skin Cancer
Research has shown that certain BP medications (such as hydrochlorothiazide aka HCT) can increase sun sensitivity and skin cancer risks.

Other Readers Have Made the Same Discovery

What makes this story particularly interesting is that this reader is not alone. Long before researchers were describing aspirin’s effects on ultraviolet-induced DNA damage, other People’s Pharmacy readers were reporting similar experiences.

One reader who grew up in Florida told us:

“As a teenager, I discovered that if I took aspirin for a headache, I didn’t burn! Otherwise, my skin could blister in 20 minutes at midday.

“We are now retired, and I take a baby aspirin daily on my doctor’s advice. I don’t burn, though I am careful to avoid the sun in the middle of the day. Sunscreens with SPF irritate my skin, so I don’t use them but don’t seem to need them.”

Another reader described an even more deliberate experiment:

“I have a home remedy to prevent sunburn and you may not have heard of it.”

This person, who described being “paper white,” reported taking aspirin before prolonged sun exposure and said the skin might turn slightly pink but did not become painful, peel or develop the kind of burn that had previously been expected.

We certainly do not recommend following such an aspirin regimen. The amount described was substantial enough to raise concerns about stomach irritation and bleeding.

Still, when multiple readers over many years independently describe a similar phenomenon, we become curious. In this instance, so have scientists.

Why Might Aspirin Help in Preventing Sunburn?

A sunburn is more than a temporary cosmetic inconvenience. Ultraviolet radiation triggers inflammation, oxidative stress and damage to DNA within skin cells. Researchers at the Huntsman Cancer Institute and the University of Utah have investigated whether aspirin might interfere with some of these processes.

In research published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Jan. 2021, aspirin reduced several markers of UVB-induced DNA damage in important skin cells called melanocytes and keratinocytes. It also reduced inflammation and the number of damaged “sunburn cells” in laboratory and animal experiments.

Researchers subsequently investigated the mechanism more closely. Their deep dive suggested that aspirin activates an enzyme called AMP-activated protein kinase, or AMPK. This signaling pathway appears to help cells cope with ultraviolet-induced DNA damage (Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Jan. 2023).

That makes this story more interesting than it would be if aspirin merely suppressed the redness and discomfort of sunburn. The laboratory research suggests that the drug may influence biological events occurring after ultraviolet exposure.

That does not, however, make aspirin an oral sunscreen. It does, however, suggest that aspirin impacts cellular mechanisms that might offer some protection against ultraviolet radiation.

An Older Clinical Trial Supports the Readers’ Observations

The idea that aspirin can lessen sun-induced redness has also been tested directly in people. German researchers conducted a randomized double-blind crossover experiment in fair-skinned volunteers. A 250 mg dose of aspirin reduced skin redness after exposure to UVA, UVB and combined ultraviolet radiation (Photochemistry and Photobiology, Oct. 2001).

That study was small, and we would love to see much larger modern trials. Nevertheless, it offers controlled experimental support for something our readers have been telling us for years.

Could Aspirin Also Reduce Skin Cancer?

Danish researchers published a case-control study showing that people who took aspirin regularly were at lower risk of squamous cell carcinoma or melanoma (Cancer, Oct., 2012).

A meta-analysis in Oncology Letters (March, 2015) reviewed data from eight case-controlled studies and five prospective cohort trials.

The authors concluded:

“Statistical analyses of the pooled data demonstrated that that a daily dose of 50-400 mg aspirin was significantly associated with a reduced risk of skin cancers. Stratification analysis indicated that the continual intake of low dose aspirin (≤150 mg) reduced the risk of developing skin cancer and that aspirin intake was significantly associated with a reduced risk of non-melanoma skin cancers. Overall, these findings indicated that aspirin intake was associated with a reduced risk of developing skin cancer. However, more well-designed randomized controlled trials to measure the effects of aspirin intake are required to confirm this.”

A 2022 analysis also reported that aspirin use was associated with a significantly reduced risk of basal cell carcinoma (World Journal of Oncology, Dec. 2022).

Not every study supports a protective effect, though. The large Nurses’ Health Study, for example, did not find a significant reduction in melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma or basal cell carcinoma among aspirin users (Cancer Causes & Control, Sept. 2012). Consequently, we cannot say that aspirin prevents skin cancer. The evidence remains intriguing but inconsistent.

We know we sound repetitive when we caution that regular aspirin use can be irritating to the stomach. Check with a doctor before contemplating such an approach. There is also the risk of bleeding elsewhere in the body and dangerous drug interactions.

Preventing Sunburn with Food?

Surprisingly, there is some research showing that consuming certain foods, vitamins or over-the-counter medicines may help the skin resist sunburn. None of these would be a substitute for regularly applying a high-SPF sunscreen, but they might help someone like our sensitive reader.

One place to start is with diet. Scientists at the University of Manchester investigated the power of lycopene in tomato paste to reduce skin reddening from ultraviolet exposure. Twenty healthy fair-skinned British women were given either 55 g/day of tomato paste in olive oil or plain olive oil as a placebo for 12 weeks.

Before and after the intervention, each woman was exposed to a measured amount of ultraviolet light. The women who been eating tomato paste were able to tolerate more ultraviolet exposure without skin damage (British Journal of Dermatology, Jan., 2011).

The authors concluded:

“This study supports previous epidemiological, animal and human data reporting protective effects of lycopene and indicates that this agent also protects against UVR‐induced tissue damage…Nutritional photoprotection with tomato products is a promising area for research, and further investigative and clinical studies are required to explore these novel findings.”

More recently, scientists conducted a randomized controlled trial of tomato phytonutrients compared to placebo (Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, March 5, 2019). The researchers found that after three months, volunteers who took the lycopene, beta-carotene and other nutrients got less sunburned and had lower levels of inflammatory markers.

A Supplement for Preventing Sunburn?

Q. My “healthy neighbor in the know” swears that astaxanthin is a better alternative to chemical-laden sunscreens. What say you?

A. Supplement makers get astaxanthin, a type of carotenoid, from marine organisms. Generally, plants produce carotenoids  that serve as precursors to vitamin A in animals. However, our bodies do not convert astaxanthin to this vitamin. It has its own anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating activity (Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, Jan. 2020).  As a result, supplement makers have promoted this ingredient for skin health.

We were excited to learn that many carotenoids help protect skin from sun damage (Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine, online May 5, 2021).

According to the scientists,

“Oral supplementation with multi-carotene supplements may provide incidental photoprotection with a more uniform coverage over the total body surface area and could potentially help maintain a healthy-looking skin.”

However, they warn that supplements are not a substitute for effective sunscreens.

A broader systematic review published in the Journal of Medicinal Food (June, 2025) examined dozens of studies on oral compounds for photoprotection. Carotenoids, polyphenols and certain plant extracts appeared promising, but most studies remained relatively small and short.

So astaxanthin is worthy of continued research, but we would not put it in the same category as sunscreen, clothing or shade.

Vitamin C for Preventing Sunburn:

Another reader reported:

“Instead of sunscreen, I take megadoses of vitamin C to protect myself. This has worked for over 20 years against sunburn. Of course, I don’t tan or freckle either. I take 3 grams of C each day. Once every year or two I might get a little pink on the most sensitive areas (tip of my nose, neck and shoulders early in the summer); otherwise, the C protects me against the radiation of the sun.”

While we don’t advocate going without sunscreen, some data suggest that vitamin C may offer modest protection against ultraviolet radiation.

Clouds for Preventing Sunburn?

Some people think that clouds will protect them from the sun, but ultraviolet rays can still burn on an overcast day. That’s why it is important to use protective clothing and sunscreen for outdoor activities regardless of the weather. My mother, Helen Graedon, once got badly burned because she did not realize that a cloudy day would not provide protection against sun damage.

After that event she was super careful. Here is a photo of my mom on a big day. Her skin was amazing for a 90-year-old woman.

Helen Graedon on her 90th birthday

It still makes sense to use sunscreen and avoid the midday sun. Anyone who plans to take aspirin regularly should discuss the pros and cons with their heath care provider. Usually, you can safely take vitamin C and carotenoids such as astaxanthin without medical supervision. Still, you should let your physician know what you are doing.

We offer other recommendations on protecting your precious dermis in our free Guide to Skin Care & Treatment.