How to Treat and Prevent Sun Poisoning
89Sun poisoning is a serious condition that is affecting an increasing number of individuals who have developed a sensitivity to the sun. The technical name for sun poisoning is photodermatitis, the same name used for sunburn. It is a more extreme case of sunburn involving an allergic skin reaction to extreme sun exposure.
Sun Poisoning Symptoms
In addition to the regular symptoms of sunburn (itching, peeling, redness), sun poisoning is a rash that may have small blisters that can become infected. Symptoms include fever, chills, itching, nausea, headache, and dizziness, fluid loss and electrolyte imbalance. Sun poisoning will often become more severe if it recurs.
The major factors causing sun poisoning are medications that make the skin become more sensitive (birth control pills, salicylanilide found in industrial cleaner, hexachlorophene in some antibacterial soaps, tetracycline antibiotics), sunscreen products that contain PABA and certain fragrances, vitamin deficiency and autoimmune conditions. An allergic reaction to these factors occur each time your skin comes into contact with the sun. Symptoms may not be confined to the area of sun exposure. Fortunately, there are some very effective remedies and methods of prevention for sun poisoning.
Sun Poisoning Treatment
Natural treatments include aloe vera which helps to sooth sun burned skin, calendula used in the form of a suspension or tincture to reduce inflammation, control bleeding and sooth irritated tissue,avoid the sun between the hours of noon until 3pm, avoid creams and medications that proven to be underlying factors contributing to sun poisoning. If the sun damage is severe you may need to see a dermatologist for treatment of infection and dehydration.
Sun Poisoning Prevention
It may not be easy to discover what plant, medication or chemical is the cause of your allergic reaction to the sun. You will have to use the process of trial and error. Once you have found out the source you should immediately stop using it. If it is a necessary medication prescribed by your doctor you should avoid the sun while you are taking the medication. If you are fair skinned your risk of sun poisoning is increased. Always limit your sun exposures, starting with a very brief exposure and gradually increasing it per exposure, and use a healthy sun screen that does not contain sun allergy producing chemicals for protection. Find out if the sunscreen you are presently using may be toxic here
Address possible vitamin deficiencies that may be the cause of sun poisoning and increase immune defence by taking the following nutrients: Beta Carotene - carrots are a great source, Omega-3 Fatty Acids - the best source is flax seed oil, Vitamins C, D, E, Niacin, Green Tea. To obtain maximum pain relief from sunburns and to accelerate the healing process of damaged skin, use Arbonne Skin Conditioning Oil.
Conclusion
Sun poisoning is a condition that is becoming more common due to our exposure to different plants, medications, chemicals and vitamin deficiencies. It is important to discover the cause of the sun allergy and eliminate it. Taking the necessary preventative steps will make exposure to the sun a more healthy and pleasant experience.
- Toxins In Sunscreen Lotions
re you getting ready for summer, sun and the beach? Recent studies show that not only are the sun rays harmful to the skin, but many brands of sunscreen are also harmful.
Most People are Deficient in Omega-3. Click on Link Below to Read More
- The Truth about Flax Seed Oil
Over the last 50 to 100 years there has been a rapid change in the type of fats being eaten. This has knocked the near even omega 6 to 3 proportions way out of balance, which is having detrimental health effects.
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Comments
Great reminder of what can happen. I think the sun is stronger these days. I too remember getting burned several times. So far not too bad, have had many removed from my face and arms. But not too bad.
nowdays there seem to be more really bad melanomas (spelt wrong) than heard of in our day. Thanks for sharing this.
Steve, not to poo-poo your information, but I had sun poisoning once and was comatose on some friends' sofa for most of 3 days. Didn't do or use anything different from the many other times we'd spent a day at the lake. I simply happen to be very light-skinned, burn easily (even with sun block), and that particular day must've been the tipping point for my system. My friends were taking me home when one noticed I didn't look "right", and their house was closer. I was flushed and woozy, and when we got inside we noticed white spots on the front of my upper legs. NOT a rash but distinct spots an inch or so apart. The spots I learned later are the telltale sign of sun poisoning.
Also learned I was very lucky...I should've been in a hospital for dehydration and electrolyte loss. As it was, my friends woke me every few hours and made me drink lots of fluid, then walked me to the bathroom. Oddly, my skin wasn't on fire as it normally would be with a sunburn.
Once sensitized, the only way to prevent a recurrence of true sun poisoning is to limit exposure to the sun. Period.
Thanks for your comment JamaGenee. I can appreciate that in your experience you did not have a rash with sun poisoning. Doctors and other medical authorities have stated that this is one of the symptoms that has been found in sun poisoning. Medical authorities also state as I mention in my hub that sun poisoning is an allergic reaction triggered by different sources. Eliminating those sources will eliminate the chance of allergic reaction and sun poisoning. Once sensitized it can recur more severly the next time if those problems are not corrected. I am not sure where you got your information that says once sensitized, the only way to prevent sun poisoning is to limit exposure to the sun period but it contradicts what is taught by medical authorities.
Never knew about all the factors going on that can add to sun poisoning! Informative! And jamagenee's comment makes all this 'very real.' Thank goodness I'm a big fan of carrots and flax seeds in my daily salads. And here's more about vitamin C, such an important vitamin! http://hubpages.com/hub/Vitamin-C-and-Collagen
Thanks for your comment desert blondie and for the link.
Interesting topic.
Very interesting and informative. I too, am fair-skinned and never had a problem with the sun until one holiday when I had all the symptoms described. I never had a recurrence of the problem, although I coninued to go on the sun thereafter. I now limit my exposure and I have had melanomas removed on my forehead. i too believe the sun is stronger nowadays.
I see people bring their tiny babies to the local swimming pools, and I just cringe! It is bad enough to suffer sun poisoning as an adult, but for a child it can be deadly. I believe that any child under the age of 2 should not be in the sun at all, and as for adults, less is more. The number one cause of aging skin is the sun. This is a good hub because it brings awarness to the danger if too much sun. Is sun poisoning the same as sun stroke?
Thanks for the great comments everyone!
Hi Ssteve,
Like any good thing, it's easy to overdo. Sun is actually good for us in moderation but the junk we eat has a lot to do with exacerbating photosensitivity. According to William Douglass, M.D. we are actually short on vitamin D. Due to in part, to Solar Phobia. Races which spent years in the sun don't get any problems with exposure until they become westernized in their diets. I have lived and worked among such people and noticed that they had a very simple lifestyle including diet. Until the influence of the western culture came they ate mostly foods indigenous to the area. Skin problems just didn't exist. It's so easy to get caught up in a knee jerk reaction all too often by incomplete or "junk" science which was never a problem until recent years when our hurry up society became a victim of questionable marketing techniques aimed at making a fast buck rather than proper nutritin. On the other side of the coin, I've also seen severe cases of sun poisoning when I worked in the tropics, but never in the natives of the area. It is easy to get too much sun, especially us white folks who are sometimes obsessed with the tan more for fashion than health reasons.
Keep up the good work, Steve
Thanks for sharing some of your insights and experiences Jed. You make an interesting observation when you mention that you have never known anyone who hasn't been exposed to the western diet to get sun poisoning.
I bookmarked this for later reference. Thanks for writing such an informative hub on a subject that seems to be popping up every time I turn around. C.S.
great, steve please also mention how much sun screen lotion application helps to prevent sun burns because people use to apply a very thin coat of the same that i think is not appropriate as per my studies are concerned. (please correct me if i am wrong)
thanks.
Thanks for your comment RAVI4ALL. A healthy sunscreen will definetely be effective against sun burn. However, there are many on the market that are not healthy. You can check it out by reading my hub http://hubpages.com/hub/Screening-Sunscreens.
Wow, I didn't know any of this sun poisoning stuff - the sun's something I need to be careful of!
Another great and informative hub. I never stayed out in the sun getting a tan - much. I get a lot of freckles. Now I like them, but when I was younger - not so much. I'm glad now, it kept me out of the sun,when other girls were turning berry brown every summer (now they'll have to pay).
Great hub. I have to work out in the sun often and I am always wondering when I'm going to pay for it in a serious way. I always know I should wear sun screen, but never do. This was a very informative hub, thanks!
I don't have problems with sunburn even I stay under the sun or stay long in the beach. Even I am aware of the harmful effects of the sun, just because of laziness I don't wear sun block, despite the constant reminder of friends. Now I'd be more concious, thanks for this informative hub.
I got sun poisoning in high school. Went to the beach for spring break, fell asleep in the sun for 6 hours on my back. It was horrible. I had to be hospitalized and put in an ice bath to bring my temp down initially, then once had to be wrapped in a cooling blanket. My temperature when they got me to the hospital was 105. That's brain damage time. It's very painful for a long time after that. You have severe headaches, and nausea for days. I was in the hospital for 3 days in the burn unit, until they got my temperature down and my fluid levels back up, and then they sent me home with a large hairspray size can of benzocaine and some heavy duty painkillers. Not the OTC kind, the straight dope! I had second degree burns on 40% of my body, and when it peeled, it cracked like dry earth, and was so painful, they had to sedate me and pull it off. My skin was so sensitive for weeks and weeks that I couldn't go to school or wear anything. I just lay around with a sheet wrapped around me, because that's all I could stand on my skin.
Years later, the doctor told me that he was surprised that I survived without brain damage, and that he was very concerned when I was first brought in, because I was totally out of it, didn't even know where I was.
The most painful part was that the bottoms of my feet were burned, so I had to crawl around everywhere.
well you should always contact your physician
Interesting hub. I was not aware of this condition, although I have noticed the warning on many prescriptions against increased sensitivity to sunlight.
My wife gets little itchy red bumps whenever she goes out even just for a little while. Thanks for some of the possible causes.
Great informative hub. As a child, I was raised on a lake and quite literally lived in a swimsuit all summer. In my twenties (35 years ago!), I started getting a blistered rash every time I went out in the sun. I never treated it, but instinct told me it was not a good thing. Since then, my sun exposure has been kept to a minumum - with no more episodes. I guess I was one of the lucky ones.
its better to stay away from sun during noon
For me, sun poisoning is an annual occurrence ANY time I am exposed to sun even briefly. Last weekend I had an eruption on my left arm from having my car window down while driving! I believe my sensitivity began when I started taking blood pressure medication some years. Nothing seems to alleviate the outbreak though, just takes time. Believe me, I've tried everything over-the-counter, and a couple of prescriptions that my physician assured me would alleviate the rash (but did not work as well as non-prescriptions, at least for me).
great very informative thanks!
I know I have an allergy to the sun - but unintentionally left my hat at home to go to the local animal shelter to find a dog for our home. We were out in the sun for a much longer period than I thought & now have a horrible sunburn on my face, neck. chest, around the eyes & I'm sure on top of my head - even under my bangs. I am 72 years old & have been fighting a skin condition the docs believed a reaction from sun & medications I take - but this is a doozy & of course it is Sat. night! Should I take this to the ER or just wait until Mon. & check with my doctor. I cannot sleep because it burns & itches so bad! I keep applying cold compresses. Any more suggestions for this "burner" on PST?
Thanks for your comment Lou!
The most effective product I know of for soothing pain from sunburn and accelerating the healing process is a product from Arbonne called Skin Conditioning oil. Use generous amounts when applying this product to get maximum results. In my experience it is much more effective than aloe vera gel which I used to use whenever I got a sunburn. I have listed the product through Amazon above for your information.
Great information. I'm a fair skinned person and I certainly regret all of the sun exposure I had as a kid, before anyone really talked about all of this. I think I had some sun poisoning once many years ago. I had gone to a tanning booth once or twice in the winter because I was planning a trip to Florida and I thought it might help prevent a burn once I got there. Instead I broke out in ugly red blotches and couldn't feel good about even wearing shorts!
Very informative hub. I really learned a lot from reading this. Keep those hubs coming!
Great information and a very serious condition that everyone, especially parents, should be aware of.
Provided very good info. Certainly expect more from you of this kinda.
I usually end up with a rash on my arms from sun exposure. I wonder if it is due to my medication. I will check out your linked articles thanks
Lupo says:
17 months ago
Whenever I read sun related health issues I can't help but think of my Mom telling me tales about my childhood. I spent my summers at the beach. My brothers and I ran around like crazy, all day, everydaywith nothing but shorts. It was inevitable that when we arrived down the shore at the beginning of the summer, we all got burned (or so I have been told).
I don't remember getting burned every summer but I do remember it happening more than a few times. I'm not sure if we ever hit the point of getting full blown sun poisoning, as I don't recall any of getting as sick as it sounds like it can make you, but I do know every once in awhile one or more of us developed rashes.
I also remember how everyone used to use copious amounts of coppertone - to enhance, not attenuate - the sunlight and maximize their tan.
Little did any of us know..........
Thanks for the informative hub!