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Ask most people and they'll say they look and feel better when they have a tan, despite horrified gasps accorded to anyone who dares to venture into the sun.
That's with good reason, but we all misjudge things from time to time and end up looking like a freshly boiled crayfish.
First your skin will ache, turn pink, then red, and may blister. If your body has become overheated you can show signs of heat stroke - you'll feel weak and nauseous, have a killer headache and may even have the chills. The secret is not to get sunburned in the first place, but if you do get caught what's the best course of action?
Sarah Perry, the Cancer Society's health promotions adviser, says it helps to understand exactly what causes sunburn. "Basically, we're talking about a burn to a living tissue produced by overexposure to ultraviolet, or UV, radiation. These rays can damage your skin cells and trigger the release of pro-inflammatory signals called cytokines that lead to redness, swelling and pain. If the DNA damage is severe, a normal skin cell may begin to grow abnormally, leading to cancer. And children who get sunburned are more at risk of cancer later in life."
Perry suggests treating a sunburn as you would any burn. "The goals are to relieve the pain, cool down the skin and provide an environment that will allow the skin to heal."
That means ignoring those people who suggest taking a hot shower. Instead, stand in a cold shower for 20 minutes.
Then use cold compresses or try another 10 minutes under the cold shower.
Don't use soap as that dries out the skin.
Over-the-counter medicines such as Panadol or Ibuprofen can help, especially if taken within 24 hours of getting burned, because they can alleviate the pain, reduce itching and decrease some of the immediate inflammation. Hydrocortisone can also reduce swelling and pain, but avoid greasy creams that block the sweat glands and stop heat escaping.
If your sunburn is particularly bad and is starting to blister, Perry suggests dressing the area to help prevent infection. "If it's quite badly blistered, I'd recommend seeing your GP or paying a visit to A&E."
And you should keep up your fluid intake because sunburn leads to dehydration, which makes you feel weak and tired.
Although Perry says there's no scientific basis that home remedies work, some people swear by DIY solutions such as applying vinegar-soaked cotton-wool balls - but avoid rubbing your eyes after you apply it.
Others advocate using a mixture of baking soda and cold water in the same way, or applying lavender oil or cold plain yoghurt on the burned areas, washing it off and reapplying it when the area heats up again.
And then there's the black tea compress. Brew tea bags in hot water, waiting until they cool and then either put the teabags on the damaged skin or soak a piece of linen or muslin in the liquid and place that over the sunburn for 30 minutes. Apparently the tannic acid in the tea helps reduce the redness and pain.
Other remedies include smearing honey on the area, or covering it with slices of cucumber or avocado.
One of the more bizarre suggestions is to mix instant mashed potato with crushed ice.
But my money is on the more sensible option of using aloe juice - just split the aloe leaf lengthwise and squeeze the juice on to the burn.
Experts suggest that what you put into your mouth can be just as important as what you put on your skin when treating sunburn.
Cod-liver oil, for example, can help calm the nerves and hasten the healing process and vitamin C helps healing and reduces itchiness.
MSG is also known to worsen pain, so avoid processed food. And stay away from sweet foods, which can cause either high or low blood sugar, both of which worsen pain and delay healing.
One theory even says that sugar consumption can increase the tendency to sunburn rather than to tan.
Eating certain foods may help prepare your skin for the ravages of the sun. Scientists at the Universities of Manchester and Newcastle in the UK found that the tomato improved the skin's ability to protect against UV light, and certain nutrients - such as betacarotene and its close chemical relatives, lutein and zeaxanthin - have long been known to reduce the damaging effects of free radicals, thus protecting against sunburn.
Natural sources of betacarotene include carrots, spinach, apricots and mango. Lutein is found in spinach, leeks, peas, kiwi fruit, black grapes and romaine lettuce. Rich sources of zeaxanthin include sweetcorn, red peppers, nectarines, pawpaw and honeydew melon.
But if you've been caught out by the sun, what's the best way to offset the damage to your skin, such as ageing and peeling?
Wellington skin specialist and makeup artist Sasha Rees suggests that once the skin has calmed down it's a good idea to smother it in a good-quality moisturiser.
"Give it a few days, so it's not so sensitive, and then gently exfoliate to buff away the dead skin cells," says Rees.
"This will help to avoid the peeled skin effect. And then lavish your skin with moisturiser."
She suggests never stepping out of the house without applying an SPF cream, especially to the face.
"Even on cloudy days, it's critical to protect the gentle facial skin. And as boring as it sounds, try to keep your face out of direct sunlight as much as possible."
