Solar dermatitis
Solar dermatitis is also called solar allergy — it is an inflammatory reaction of the skin that was induced by direct sunlight and proceeds as a typical allergic reaction. Solar allergy is characterized by puffiness of the skin and severe redness, and rashes similar to urticaria also appear on the skin. The disease often recurs, acquires a chronic course and transforms into eczema.
The content of the article:
Causes of solar dermatitis
Symptoms of solar dermatitis
Diagnosis of solar dermatitis
Treatment of solar dermatitis
Prevention of solar dermatitis
Solar dermatitis
Solar dermatitis is one of the many types of actinic dermatitis. It appears in few people and is caused not so much by the intensity of solar exposure as by the individual reaction of the body. More often, solar dermatitis is observed in adults who have a history of any allergic reactions or a genetic predisposition to them. The allergic reaction that appears with solar dermatitis is of a delayed type. This means that noticeable symptoms of this disease begin to manifest themselves only with repeated exposure to a factor that provokes an inflammatory reaction.
Causes of solar dermatitis
Individual rays of the sun cannot be an allergen, solar dermatitis occurs when photosensitizers are exposed to the body. Photosensitizers are substances that increase skin sensitivity to sunlight. Under their influence, photosensitizers release free radicals that react with proteins present in the body. As a result, new compounds are formed that act as antigens, triggering the mechanism of an allergic reaction. Depending on the nature of photosensitizers, dermatology identifies external and internal causes of solar allergy.
So, the external causes of the appearance of such a disease as solar dermatitis, the treatment of which does not always completely eradicate the disease, belong to:
taking medications that can increase skin sensitivity to sunlight;
decreased immunity, liver and intestinal problems;
acute shortage of vitamins in the body.
The external causes of the disease of solar dermatitis, the symptoms of which can not be immediately noticed, include the application of creams and ointments that contain musk, ambergris, sandalwood oil and bergamot, as well as household chemicals and plant juices.
The internal causes of solar allergy are substances accumulated in the body during such metabolic abnormalities as obesity, diabetes mellitus, systemic drug treatment, and organ malfunction, which serve to neutralize and eliminate toxic substances. Patients who have been treated with antibiotics should also not rush to sunbathe, medications can change the reactivity of the body and cause solar dermatitis.
Symptoms of solar dermatitis
The disease can begin in a person after exposure to sunlight or other ultraviolet sources. On the affected areas of the skin, the patient notes its noticeable redness and swelling, which strongly resembles burns of the first degree. The process of developing the disease is accompanied by unbearable itching and an unpleasant burning sensation. In the future, a small rash appears on the foci of redness, some elements of it are similar to urticaria. The rash may spread to areas of the skin that have not been exposed to ultraviolet rays. Solar dermatitis sometimes occurs against the background of a general deterioration in a person’s well-being and is accompanied by conjunctivitis or cheilitis.
Within a few weeks, the rash of solar allergy goes away on its own, but with repeated exposure to the rays of the sun, it often reappears. Then the patient develops a chronic type of this disease. The chronic form of solar allergy is manifested by increased skin pattern, hyperpigmentation and the appearance of vascular asterisks, as well as infiltration and palpable dryness of the skin.
Dermatologists separately distinguish persistent solar erythema, in which redness of the damaged area of the skin, rash and itching bother the patient for several months, and in particularly difficult cases, for several years. The symptoms of persistent solar erythema will not go away after the allergen is eliminated and increase after each exposure to ultraviolet rays.
Diagnosis of solar dermatitis
If you notice a rash on your skin after sunburn, you should immediately consult a doctor. Identification of photosensitization fact during the conversation with the patient, dermatological examination and dermatoscopy of the present rashes will provide an opportunity for the doctor to make an accurate diagnosis. Determination of the type of photosensitizing substance is carried out by application tests with photo allergens. The allergen is applied to the patient’s skin in two rows, after that a light bandage is applied to the area where the research is carried out. After 24 hours, one row is subjected to ultraviolet irradiation, and the second will be a control.
In order to identify the endogenous causes of the disease, it may be necessary to conduct a biochemical analysis of the patient’s blood and urine, an analysis of the Zimnitsky sample, a study of hormonal changes, excretory urography, ultrasound and CT of the kidneys, as well as ultrasound of the abdominal cavity. In order to completely exclude such an insidious disease as systemic lupus erythematosus, antinuclear factor, C-reactive protein and lupus anticoagulant can be determined in the patient’s blood.
Treatment of solar dermatitis
How to treat solar dermatitis is known to all practicing dermatologists. Therapy consists first of all in limiting the effect of ultraviolet rays on the patient’s skin and, of course, in eliminating the causal allergenic factor. In therapy, various ointments based on corticosteroid drugs can be used, such anti—inflammatory drugs as nurofen, diclofenac, ibufen, antihistamines – fencarol, suprastin, loratadine, as well as B vitamins, chloroquine and others. The dermatologist may also advise the patient to consult an endocrinologist, gastroenterologist or nephrologist.
To reduce irritation on the skin with sun allergies, lotions from chilled tea leaves or compresses from potato juice help well. It is necessary to refresh and soothe inflamed skin with an after-sun cream with phytoextracts and vitamin E, it will quickly relieve the feeling of heat and eliminate redness. With a strong form of solar dermatitis, you can take nicotinic acid.
Persistent solar erythema is treated with glucocorticoids, in difficult cases or if there are contraindications to glucocorticoids, cytostatic therapy is possible. There is no clear system of prevention of this disease, but patients need careful and constant protection of exposed skin areas from ultraviolet radiation. As little as possible, you should try to be in the sun in the heat, wear white or red clothes — these two shades have the ability to reflect ultraviolet rays and significantly reduce the risk of solar dermatitis.
Prevention of solar dermatitis
Before going out in the sun, it is necessary to apply special sunscreens with maximum protection (SPF50+) to unprotected areas of the body. Perfumes and decorative cosmetics contain essential oils, and they, as you know, also increase the normal susceptibility of the skin to ultraviolet radiation, you should use them at a minimum on such days.
You can never treat yourself on your own — this can further intensify the inflammatory process and lead to serious consequences. Do not ignore deviations in the state of your health and at the first signs of sunburn and rash, you should contact a dermatologist.
