© Copyright Manfred Kaiser 2007
I have itchy skin.
Am I suffering from sun allergy?
In most cases, the skin very quickly adapts to the sunlight and the holidaymaker
or the spring-
Should you accustom your skin by visiting a solarium before going on holidays? Skin
specialists don’t recommend this practice, as solarium lights favour ultraviolet
light of the type ‘A’ (UV-
If you know you get more than just a few tiny blisters, it is advisable to slowly adapt your skin to the sunlight by initially protecting your skin with light clothing or with a generous layer of sunscreen, known not to cause light sensitivity. A cool, moist towel on the affected area should also alleviate some of the itching and burning sensation.
In rare cases, the symptoms of light sensitivity may persist and may even worsen. In this case, you should see a medical professional, as this may be an indication that you suffer from a more serious form of photosensitivity, a problem that needs medical attention.
Finally it is spring. You get out your shorts or bathers and you are determined to enjoy the first warm and sunny days. Curiously, after just a short while and despite sunscreen your skin starts to itch and turns red in patches. Some tiny blisters or pimples also spring up. For some, the symptoms may last only a few minutes, for others, however, the reaction may be present for several hours and is annoying, at least.
Am I suffering from a form of sun allergy? Strictly speaking this is, in most cases,
not an allergic reaction as no known allergen is involved; rather it is mild damage
to the skin cells that haven’t seen much of the sun for several months. In other
words, your skin may have been covered for a long time and has become temporarily
light sensitive. To make matters worse, some skin-
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