2023-08-14 16:38:00
Have you ever heard of the so-called sun allergy? Spending time in the sun doesn’t mean a comfortable break for everyone. Around ten to twenty percent of the population experience skin reactions after just brief exposure to the sun, which can be painful and also look unsightly. STYLEBOOK explains the causes, treatment and prevention of this skin reaction.
Sun allergy sufferers know this: Especially in summer, the strength of the sun’s rays can have painful effects. Strictly speaking, polymorphic light eruption (PLD) is not a real allergy, but a skin reaction after sunbathing. Sunlight changes the skin, which often manifests itself in the form of nagging pimples, wheals or red spots. STYLEBOOK reveals 4 tips on how to prevent sun allergy and how to treat the skin reaction properly.
Different forms of sun allergy
Polymorphic light eruption is the most common, but not the only form of sun allergy. There are also phototoxic skin reactions, such as meadow grass dermatitis and Mallorca acne. Here, the UV-A radiation in combination with factors such as the use of oily sun creams is responsible for a sun-allergic skin reaction. Other forms are photoallergic skin reactions and solar urticaria. However, these forms of sun allergy are rarer and the causes are not known.
Impaired cells as a reason for sun allergy
Exact reasons why your skin suddenly becomes allergic to the sun after exposure to it are few in research. What is certain, however, is that UV-A radiation acts either alone or in combination with other factors and that the functional processes in the skin work differently than usual. Researchers assume that the defense mechanisms of the cells affected are impaired. The radicals released by the UV-A radiation can therefore not be neutralized. The result: your immune system reacts with a time delay to sun exposure with symptoms of a sun allergy.
4 tips to prevent sun allergy
It’s quite possible that this year is the first time you’ve dealt with a sun allergy, although you’ve always considered yourself a sun-worshipper. Sun allergy can occur suddenly and especially when the skin has been exposed to the blazing sun for a long time. The following four tips should always be followed to prevent sun allergy.
Tip 1: Carefully get your skin used to UV radiation
The cold and dark season is over, spring is here and the sun is slowly showing its best side. Great for the mind, but it is precisely in this transitional phase that your skin is suddenly exposed to strong sunlight. So that your body does not overreact and the sun allergy symptoms remain, you should carefully get your skin used to the UV radiation. You should therefore only spend a few minutes in the direct sun in the morning or late afternoon. This gives your skin enough leeway to get used to it.
Tip 2: Avoid sunbathing in the midday sun
Basically, the strong midday sun should be avoided as a matter of principle, since the UV radiation of the sun is then too strong, especially in the summer months. In order to prevent a sun allergy, you should therefore avoid direct sunlight between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Tip 3: Use the right sunscreen
The right sun protection is the be-all and end-all! Before you go sunbathing, you should always apply a sufficient amount of your protective cream and reapply it regularly. To avoid any kind of sun allergy, ideally use sunscreen with a high sun protection factor, which protects against both UV-A and UV-B radiation. For good tolerance, it should be suitable for sensitive skin and free of fragrances.
Tip 4: Wear opaque clothing
Whether you sunbathe or spend your everyday life in the fresh air – protect thin areas of skin on the décolleté, shoulders, back, hands and calves in particular from aggressive UV radiation with opaque clothing. The darker, the more opaque. Thin blouses or long linen trousers are ideal for warm summer days. It is best to protect your head and face with a sun hat or a scarf.
Sun allergy – what helps against it
If it is already too late and your body is struggling with unpleasant redness, itching and/or pain, there is only one thing that can help: Get out of the sun! And not just for half an hour, but for the rest of the day and the next two. Only in this case can the body and skin recover and regenerate. If the symptoms are painful, you can cool the affected areas with a damp cloth or a cold shower. Long-lasting redness and pimples can be treated and soothed with anti-inflammatory ointments.]
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