Top Tips to Prevent Skin Reactions in the Sun: Cosmetics, Medicines, and More

Cosmetics – some products react in sunlight

Your skin care can also be the cause of your rash. Some ingredients are phototoxic so they can react in your skin with the sun. Very famous criminals? Fragrances and colors. But oddly enough, some sunscreens in your sunscreen can cause a rash, such as oxybenzone.

The rash is like a sunburn with pain and swelling. If you use these phototoxic products in the sun for a long time, the skin can eventually age faster and cause pigment spots.

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Think about what skin care you put on before going out in the sun and check the ingredients list for plant extracts such as citrus, orange, bergamot, mandarin, grapefruit, lime, lavender, rosemary, fig, angelica , St. John’s wort, tea tree and ginger.

Medicines – check the package leaflet

Medications can also cause problems in the sun. This applies, for example, to antibiotics, water tablets and some antidepressants. You can always find this in the package leaflet.

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If you are taking medications that carry a warning, it might be wise to avoid the sun as much as possible. You can also take extra precautions: wear a hat or cap and apply even more sunscreen.

Margarita kick – it’s fun, but it’s not

The margarita rash is a skin reaction you get after drinking a margarita in the sun. That’s because of the lime in it. Citrus fruits, in combination with the sun, can cause rashes, burns and blisters. So be careful not to rub fruit juice on your skin when you are in the sun. You can also get this broth from celery and parsley…

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Do you have a bad skin reaction? Always contact your doctor. In severe cases, you may be prescribed a corticosteroid.

Sun allergy – seen mostly in the spring

Often one of the four options above is the reason why you see bumps on your skin after exposure to the sun. But sometimes you suffer from sun allergy. The skin then overreacts to UV radiation (usually UVA radiation), with blisters, bumps, thick red skin and/or itching.

Sun allergy occurs mainly in the spring and early summer. You will only see the complaints on skin that has been in the sun (but which you often cover up in winter), such as the neck, arms and chest. If the skin is exposed to the sun more often, the complaints decrease in most people.

The rash usually does not appear immediately after exposure to the sun (or after using a tanning bed), but hours to days later.

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Did you get sunburn? Then stay out of the sun until the skin complaints have disappeared. Sun allergy symptoms usually disappear on their own after ten days. If you want something to combat itching, your doctor can prescribe, for example, levomenthol gel or cream. It is also possible cream or ointment with corticosteroids.

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