Skin that is red, blistered, and feels sore when touched is a sign of sunburn. But make no mistake, this condition can also be a sign of sun allergies (sun rashes). Actually, what distinguishes between sun allergies and sunburn?
Sun allergy and sunburn are indeed two similar conditions. It's just that, the symptoms caused by sun allergies tend to be more severe than sunburn.
What are Sun Rashes?
Sun allergy is a term to describe the condition of skin that is itchy and reddened after sun exposure. It is not yet known exactly why the body develops reactions like this. However, sun allergies occur as a reaction of the immune system that is wrong in assuming that the skin component cells exposed to the sun as foreign objects.
As a result, the body turns around to attack and cause allergic reactions in the form of red rashes and blisters. In addition, people who experience sun allergies will also feel symptoms such as:
- The skin feels itchy and painful
- Blistered skin
- Small pimples appear on the skin
- Hardened skin
Symptoms of sun allergies vary, depending on the type of sun allergy that occurs. Some types of sun allergies are polymorphous light eruption (PMLE), actinic prurigo, photoallergic eruption, and solar urticaria.
What is Sunburn?
Sunburn is a burn that is caused by excessive sun exposure. Exposure to excessive sunlight causes the skin to become damaged.
The signs of sunburn on each person can also vary, depending on the color or phototype of the skin and the length of sun exposure on the skin. For white people, sun exposure for 15 minutes can cause sunburn. While people with brown skin can tolerate exposure to sunlight for hours.
Here is the division of skin color and its tolerance limits to sun exposure:
- Pale white skin takes between 15-30 minutes to burn, but during this time the skin will not turn brown.
- White skin takes between 25-40 minutes to burn, and during this time, there will be a slight change in skin color to brown.
- White skin rather dark takes between 30-50 minutes to burn, and will usually be accompanied by a change in color to brown.
- The olive skin rarely burns. Exposure to sunlight for 40-60 minutes can make olive skin turn brown, but rarely burn.
- Brown skin requires between 60-90 minutes to change color to brown, but it is difficult to burn.
- Brown or black skin takes between 90-150 minutes to change color to darker, but will not burn.
Signs of sunburn usually occur after 2-6 hours of sun exposure and the peak is 12-24 hours afterwards. Signs that can appear on the skin include:
- Reddish colored
- Feels warm and sore to the touch
- Itchy
- Swollen
- Blister
In addition, sunburn can also cause fever, dry mouth, headaches, and muscle cramps (in severe cases of sunburn).
How to Prevent Sun Rashes and Sunburn
To prevent the appearance of sun allergy symptoms, you can do the following methods:
- Avoid direct sunlight, especially during the daytime when the sun is at its peak.
- Use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30. Choose one that provides protection against UVA and UVB rays.
- Wear long pants, long sleeves, and hats, if you want to leave the house during the day.
- Use sunglasses when doing activities in the hot sun.
In general, sunburn prevention is the same as prevention of sun allergies, namely avoiding direct sun exposure, using sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30, and wearing closed clothing.
If there are signs of sun allergy or complaints on the skin due to sunburn, consult a doctor to get the right treatment.
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