If you expose your skin to UV rays from the sun for an extended period of time, your skin may develop an allergic reaction to the rays. The reaction usually occurs in the form of itchy skin rashes and may cause your skin to turn red. If this happens, you can be said to be suffering from sun poisoning rash.
Hence, sun poisoning rash is a skin condition that results from long-term exposure to harmful sunrays. The condition is common during summers because the intensity of the sun is higher during such seasons. Although sun poisoning rash can attack any one, fair-skinned individuals have higher chances of developing this condition because the melanin contained in their skin is not enough to combat the harmful sunrays.
You can reduce the chances of sun poisoning rash through preventive measures, including staying indoors during the peak sun hours, using sunscreens, and avoiding drugs that increase your susceptibility.
1. Skin Redness
This refers to abnormal skin flushing. Typically, it signifies a skin inflammation. When your skin develops an inflammation as a result of exposure to ultraviolet sunrays, your immune system responds by causing more blood to flow to the skin to facilitate healing. As a result, your skin may change its color to red. If your skin develops redness due to excessive exposure to sunrays, it may become itchy and painful.
Skin redness resulting from sun poisoning rash usually begins as a mild symptom and worsens with time if it is not treated. In fact, it may cause your skin to age faster. Persistent increased blood flow to your skin may result in the weakening of the skin blood vessels, causing the redness to be worse. Seek emergency treatment if you have skin redness that does not improve.
2. Blistering
Sunburn blisters occur in the form of fluid-filled bumps. The bumps are always white in color and may be itchy. When touched, these blisters cause pain. If they are not treated, the blisters can cause skin infections, leading to more pain and skin inflammation. The good thing about sunburn blisters is that they can be treated using home remedies. The remedies for sunburn blisters include:
Cold compresses to relieve skin inflammations and pain.
Aloe Vera. It rehydrates your skin and relieves pain.
Taking oatmeal baths to soothe your skin and speed up healing.
Applying turmeric paste over the affected skin. Turmeric contains antiseptic properties, which are helpful in reducing skin pain and inflammations.
3. Swelling
This refers to enlargement of the skin as a result of fluid buildup in the tissues of the skin. It begins as a mild condition and escalates with time. In most cases, skin swelling resulting from sun poisoning rash is accompanied with other symptoms, including blistering, irritation, and pain. If it is not treated in time, this symptom may destroy the appearance of your skin and cause the skin to age faster. Seek early treatment if you have skin swelling that persists. You may also treat your skin swelling using simple self-care remedies, such as cold compresses and oatmeal baths.
4. Headache
This usually occurs in cases of severe sun poisoning rash. Headaches occur in episodes and can be severe in some cases. Although they have several causes, you can detect that your headaches result from sun poisoning rash if the episodes usually occur shortly after exposure to the sun. In some cases, the episodes are accompanied with nausea. While some episodes may last for minutes, others may persist for several hours. This symptom usually causes discomfort and may impair your daily activities. Although it can effectively be treated by use of painkillers, visiting your physician when the symptom persists can be the smartest way of remedying the situation.
5. Fever
If you have a fever, your body temperature is abnormally high. Typically, this symptom occurs along with chills. Episodes of sunburn fevers usually occur shortly after exposing yourself to the sun. The episodes may occur occasionally at first and become more frequent as the condition worsens with time. Although high body temperatures may improve on their own, treatment may be necessary in extreme cases. You doctor may recommend the use of ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or other over-the-counter medications that help to lower the body temperature. Frequent taking of cold showers may also help in reducing your body temperature. You can also apply aloe vera pastes directly to your skin to lower the temperature.
6. Chills
Prolonged exposure of your skin to the sun causes repeated expansions and contractions of your muscles, which cause your skin to feel colder than normal. You are said to have a chill if you experience abnormal skin coldness. Sunburn chills usually occur along with fevers and are usually characterized by shaking or shivering. Episodes of this symptom can last from several minutes to hours depending on the severity of sun poisoning rash. To treat chills, you can take a warm shower to restore your body warmth, or you can put own heavy clothing to prevent further loss of body heat. Taking over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen and aspirin is also helpful.
7. Nausea
When you have nausea, you feel as if you want to vomit. Typically, episodes of sunburn nausea occur along with headaches, and they may cause discomfort. Health experts believe that this type of nausea results from acute pain in your head. In some cases, this symptom culminates in vomiting. Other than sun poisoning rash, other factors that may cause you to feel nauseated include food allergies, stomach ulcers, stomach infections, and chemotherapy. While you may not need to treat the symptom in some cases, seeking medical help when you experience frequent episodes of this symptom is recommended. You can also prevent the symptom by avoiding its triggers.
8. Dizziness
Dizziness is a term that describes multiple sensations, including wooziness, lightheadedness, and improper balance. Episodes of these sensations are normally accompanied with headaches. Typically, dizziness resulting from sun poisoning rash starts as a mild symptom and may disappear on its own. However, this symptom may get worse with time if the cause is not treated. In extreme cases, the sensations hinder the normal functioning of important sensory organs, including the ears and eyes. When these organs are affected, you may faint frequently. When you feel dizzy, you may do the following to feel better: Lie down until the symptom disappears and drink plenty of water to rehydrate your body.
9. Dehydration
Long-term exposure to the sun creates heat in your body, causing a decline in the volume of the body fluids. Typically, dehydration occurs along with other symptoms, including dizziness, severe thirst, and fatigue. Dehydration also causes your skin to become dry, and it results in highly concentrated urine. If you become dehydrated due exposures to the sun, you can simply remedy the situation by taking plenty of water to help increase the amount of your body fluids. Since dehydration may cause life-threatening complications, such as low blood volume shock, be sure to visit your care giver if home remedies fail treat this symptom.
