The rash is red.
It can be flat, slightly raised or consist of fluid-filled blisters.
It itches and stings.
The duration is for most a couple of days, but some can have it for several months.
The most typical places to get it are the arms, hands and upper chest, but the face and other places are also affected.
Some people may get a fever in connection with sun eczema. Solar eczema is most common in young women with fair skin.
The reason is UV rays from the sun.
It is also possible to get sun eczema in a solarium.
Sunlight through windows can also cause sun eczema.
Since the rays are stronger in the spring and early summer, most people get the rash then.
It is often skin that has not been exposed to the sun for several months that is affected.
This is the reason why solar eczema occurs less often on the face, since the skin there gradually gets used to the sun.
What happens in the skin is that the sun chemically changes some naturally occurring molecules, and that the skin perceives these as foreign and reacts allergically to these "new" substances.
Sun protection prevents and can prevent more sun eczema.
You can protect your skin with sunscreen, clothing or by staying in the shade.
Moisturizers, cortisone creams and allergy medicines (antihistamines) can provide relief.
If it gets bad, a short course of cortisone tablets can be considered.
For those who get this every spring and summer, so-called hardening of the skin by medical phototherapy at a dermatologist can prevent solar eczema.
Our dermatologists help people of all ages, from newborns to the elderly, with everything from simple skin changes to serious conditions.
Our dermatologists help people of all ages, from newborns to the elderly, with everything from simple skin changes to serious conditions.
