SUN SENSITIVITY AND SUN REACTIONS
SUN ALLERGIES

The sun is pleasant and has beneficial effects but over-exposure can cause problems. The first problem is sunburn: you have been out in the sun and didn’t think about using protection because there was a slight wind or it was cloudy… you didn’t feel that the UV rays were aggressive on the skin. Four hours later, you experience a severe reaction: redness and burning; we’ve all been there.It is a very uncomfortable situation which can be even worse if you are taking oral photo-sensitizing medication certain antibiotics or you have locally applied a photo-sensitizing product on joints. In the latter cases, the burning can be very severe and the effects will be immediate. The long-term effects are more irritating and serious. There are two types. The first is skin ageing which is caused by the accumulation of the sun’s rays over a lifetime. The second is skin cancer. There are two types of skin cancer. Firstly, carcinomas which are found in the areas that have been most exposed: the face, ears, scalp and back of the hands. It takes the form of a small sore that bleeds and can be treated if it is detected early enough. Carcinomas tend to appear in older patients. Melanoma is much more serious; this is the famous mole which is in fact not a mole but rather a brown spot that appears and changes very quickly and may trigger remote reactions that can be life threatening. It can occur very early in life: even young people may present with melanomas.The only way to treat it is to identify and remove it immediately. So we can say that the carcinogenic effects of UVB rays on the skin have long been known as we know that sunburn contributes to the development of cancer. We now also know that UVA rays are carcinogenic exacerbate skin ageing and can cause cancer in the long term; hence the risk of exposure to UVA rays for example when using tanning beds. It should also be pointed out that we do not all react in the same way when exposed to the sun.Fair skin types will never have natural protection from the sun; hence they will never be tanned and will never develop protection; it will always be necessary to use sun protection. Other skin types, which are darker may create a natural protection but you should be aware that both skin types need to be well protected initially. This is essential in order to avoid the aforementioned long-term effects.