What to do if my arms are sunburned

Nowadays, people often participate in outdoor sports. In addition, the ultraviolet rays are relatively strong. If sun protection is not done in time, many people will develop sun spots on their skin. This will cause great damage to the skin and cause local skin to become darker and may even become red and swollen. It is necessary to speed up preventive care and do relevant maintenance in daily life.

Preventive Care

Regularly participate in outdoor exercise to enhance the skin's tolerance to sunlight; try to avoid outdoor activities or reduce activity time when sunlight is strongest between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.; avoid sunlight exposure, and take precautions when going out, such as holding an umbrella, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, and wearing long-sleeved clothes; if outdoors, it is recommended to routinely use sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or above, and those with severe photosensitivity need to use high-efficiency sunscreen with SPF30 or above.

Pathological etiology

Sunburn is caused by excessive exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) rays.

Disease diagnosis

Sunburn, also known as solar dermatitis, should be differentiated from contact dermatitis. The latter is caused by a history of contact with irritants, has nothing to do with sun exposure, can occur in any season, and the skin lesions occur at the site of contact with the irritant.

There is a clear history of working under strong sunlight.

It is more likely to occur in early summer when the skin has not yet tanned and has low tolerance to sunlight, and it is especially likely to occur after sudden exposure of areas that are not often exposed to the sun.

After a certain period of exposure (half to 2 hours), edematous erythema with clear boundaries appears.

The erythema progressively worsens within a few hours, and may even cause blisters and burning pain. Symptoms usually peak within 24 hours.

The course of the disease is 1-2 days for mild cases and 5-7 days for severe cases. After recovery, the skin will peel and there may be mild pigmentation.

complication

A small number of patients may also develop chronic damage due to long-term sun exposure, such as skin thickening, keratinization, atrophy, capillary dilation, and pigmentation or hypopigmentation.

Prognosis

You should try to avoid or reduce exposure to the sun, or apply sunscreen or other sun-shielding agents to avoid sunburn again.

Pathogenesis

Late spring and early summer. Since the skin does not have enough protective melanin at this time, when UV is absorbed by the dermis, the protein around the capillaries undergoes oxidation reaction, and the product causes skin erythema reaction. Or when the skin is irradiated by UVB, the epithelial cells are damaged, and inflammatory mediators such as histamine are released, causing vasodilation or exudation.