Most of us know that the sun’s mood-brightening UV rays have a dark side: Unprotected exposure can lead to sunburn, premature skin aging, skin cancer, and “sun poisoning”—which generally refers to feeling sick after too much time soaking in the sun.
What is sun poisoning, exactly? It’s a term you may have heard at some point in your life—maybe your mom or dad (correctly!) told you to “put on sunscreen so you don’t get sun poisoning!”—but if you’re still not entirely sure what it is, don’t worry, you’re not alone. That’s because sun poisoning is not an official medical term or diagnosis; rather it’s a colloquial phrase that patients and doctors have defined by consensus more than anything else. (As a result, not every expert agrees on its definition.)
The most common unofficial interpretation of sun poisoning is that it “describes feeling physically unwell from a severe sunburn,” board-certified dermatologist Tsipporah Shainhouse, MD, founder of SkinSafe Dermatology and Skin Care in Beverly Hills tells SELF.
Read on for expert advice on how to recognize, treat, and prevent sun poisoning (or a regular sunburn, for that matter).
Symptoms of sun poisoning | What causes sun poisoning? | Sun poisoning vs. sunburn | How does a sunburn turn into sun poisoning? | When to see a doctor | Sun poisoning treatment at home | Can the sun make you sick without sunburn? | Sun poisoning prevention
First, what are the symptoms of sun poisoning?
“Sun poisoning often feels like the flu or even an allergic reaction,” Dr. Shainhouse explains. Symptoms of sun poisoning—which can last for a day or more, depending on how quickly you treat them—vary widely depending on the severity of the sunburn, but can include the following:
- Headache
- Fever
- Nausea and vomiting
- Lethargy
- Dizziness
- Body aches
- Dehydration
What causes sun poisoning?
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“Sun poisoning primarily happens from being out in the sun too long without proper protection, so you end up with a really severe sunburn,” Apple Bodemer, MD, associate professor of dermatology in the school of medicine and public health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, tells SELF. “Probably the most common way that it occurs is when people who haven’t been in the sun a lot go for that winter-break beach vacation and forget to cover up or apply enough sunscreen on their first day out.” If the sun is intense, one day can be all it takes, she says.
“Also, there are certain medications—like Accutane, which we prescribe for treating acne, certain antibiotics, and topicals like Retin-A—that are photosensitizing, meaning that they make you much more sensitive to the sun,” says Dr. Bodemer. “Hopefully, a doctor will have warned you of that when prescribing, but if someone isn’t aware of it they can end up with severe burns much faster than they would normally.”
How do you know if you have sun poisoning vs. sunburn?
You’ve likely experienced a mild sunburn at some point in your life: Your skin turns tender, warm, and perhaps red (depending on your skin tone) on areas of the body that weren’t covered by either sunscreen or a physical block (like a hat or beach umbrella). Severe sunburn is associated with localized skin swelling, pain, and sunburn blisters, says Dr. Shainhouse.
What are the signs of sun poisoning, though? Generally speaking, a severe sunburn tips over to sun poisoning when the symptoms you are experiencing also include headache, nausea, chills, fever, dizziness, lethargy, and/or weakness, says Dr. Bodemer.
How does a bad sunburn turn into sun poisoning?
A sunburn turns into sun poisoning when the shock of the burn triggers an intense immune system response in your body that results in the symptoms described above. “A burn is like an injury to your skin. Your body reacts to that by releasing pro-inflammatory cytokines (proteins produced by cells) that trigger systemic symptoms like headache and nausea—essentially, that feeling of being unwell,” board-certified dermatologist Alicia Barba, MD, founder of Miami’s Barba Dermatology and Skin Clinic and principal investigator with International Dermatology Research, tells SELF.¹ The UV radiation that causes the burning of your skin is also causing cellular damage, adds Dr. Bodemer, and when you have that much injury your body goes into overdrive (thanks to that inflammatory response we’ve been talking about) trying to repair it.
Source: SELF
