Sun Poisoning Symptoms and Treatment

Sun poisoning is a term usually used to describe a hypersensitive reaction to the sun. Medically there is no difference between sunburn and sun poisoning; both are called photodermatitis. Read further to discover sun poisoning symptoms and treatment to identify and relieve your pain.

Sun poisoning symptoms are identical to those of severe sunburn. They can include significant itching, redness, and sometimes blisters which could lead to infection on areas of skin exposed to sunlight. Other systemic (non-skin) symptoms include nausea, rapid pulse, rapid breathing, fever, dizziness, fatigue, headache, chills, fluid loss, and electrolyte imbalance.

Sun poisoning symptoms are naturally caused by overexposure to the sun's rays or tanning bed rays. Some medical conditions, medications, and cosmetic ingredients can make the skin more sensitive to sun exposure. That means that even a very short exposure can lead to sun poisoning if the conditions are right.

Conditions and treatments that can make the skin more sensitive to the sun's rays and lead to sun poisoning include: being fair skinned or red haired; using certain medicines like tetracycline, thiazide diuretics, sulfa drugs and oral contraceptives, St. John's wort and other anti-depressants; medical conditions including albinism, lupus, porphyria, vitiligo, and xeroderma pigmentosum; topical applications of cosmetics, lotions, fragrances or soaps containing musk ambrette, methylcoumarin, lemon oil, PABA, psoralens, coal tars or salicylic annelids. If you have had a reaction to the sun in the past, read the labels!