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"Sunscreen" didn't exist for millions and millions of years, yet we are still here, let that sink in for a moment.
'We' also used to live in the areas that our bodies had acclimated to. People didn't need melanin to protect against sunburn if they lived in an area that didn't get much sun. We've migrated away from the areas that were best suited to our bodies. This lady was a runner, but that climate didn't work well for her body so she needed to do more to adapt to the climate. In her case, she needed more clothing or sunscreen.
Wow that's scary. I admit I'm not as vigilant as I should be in applying sunscreen but I do wear clothing that covers most of my body and don't spend excessive time in the sun so at least I'm somewhat protected.
I have had sunburns like this. Once on my shoulders, and I had to cut holes in my shirts until the burns healed. It was extraordinarily painful. I am a pale redhead, and even back when I was very young & widespread use of sunscreens was the exception, not the rule, I was very aware of protecting myself from sunburn. What people often don't understand is that even a high SPF doesn't mean no sunburn. All it does is offer a longer period of time that I can "safely" be out in the sun. With no sunscreen, I can be out in summer afternoon sun for 5-10 minutes, tops. 10 is really pushing it. I wear sunscreen all year long. I can't go to the beach between 10am & 5pm at the height of summer. If I am burning & apply sunscreen, it does hurt, but it is the sunburn that causes the sunscreen to hurt. I think the backs of her legs burned so badly because the most intense sun was to her back. It's easier to ignore because you aren't seeing it--there's no squinting, you are seeing your forearms turn reddish, etc. When she applied the sunscreen, she was already burning, and she likely was sweating, which caused the applied sunscreen to wash off.
Maybe people died before they could develop skin cancer in earlier times. When you look at old pictures of people who spent a lot of time in the sun, you can see the damage that the sun did to their skin.
Just because you can't see any changes in your skin doesn't mean that the sun hasn't damaged it in some way.
Two of my children have been experiencing bad reactions to sunscreen for the last couple of years. Mainly their faces get swollen, splotchy, itchy, burning. Then a fine rough rash appears, like red sandpaper. Then they have rough, bumpy, dry, sandpaper skin for days afterward.
I can't figure out the rhyme or reason to it. It doesn't always happen with every application of sunscreen, and we've tried numerous, numerous different brands and formulas. But one rather consistent trigger seems to be reapplication when they are in the sun and sweaty (as this runner was, though, THANK HEAVENS my children's reactions haven't been as severe.)
We don't burn all that easily, so I've been trying to encourage hats and shade and clothing rather than sunscreen unless we're going to be out in the sun for an extended period of time.
Two of my children have been experiencing bad reactions to sunscreen for the last couple of years. Mainly their faces get swollen, splotchy, itchy, burning. Then a fine rough rash appears, like red sandpaper. Then they have rough, bumpy, dry, sandpaper skin for days afterward.
I can't figure out the rhyme or reason to it. It doesn't always happen with every application of sunscreen, and we've tried numerous, numerous different brands and formulas. But one rather consistent trigger seems to be reapplication when they are in the sun and sweaty (as this runner was, though, THANK HEAVENS my children's reactions haven't been as severe.)
We don't burn all that easily, so I've been trying to encourage hats and shade and clothing rather than sunscreen unless we're going to be out in the sun for an extended period of time.
That's how I sunburn. No sunscreen, some sunscreen, or whatever--too much exposure & I burn, including bumpy rash, itching, pain, swelling, redness. The blisters don't form unless I've had a very bad burn, which hasn't happened in years. If there's no commonality with respect to sunscreen, it could well be the sun that is the common factor.
That's how I sunburn. No sunscreen, some sunscreen, or whatever--too much exposure & I burn, including bumpy rash, itching, pain, swelling, redness. The blisters don't form unless I've had a very bad burn, which hasn't happened in years. If there's no commonality with respect to sunscreen, it could well be the sun that is the common factor.
But it NEVER happens without sunscreen.
The few times they've burned without sunscreen, it was strictly the typical warm, flushed, slightly tender skin (cheek or shoulders) never a swollen itchy sandpaper rash.
You also have to watch out for sunscreen in lip balm.
Yes, I thought that was culprit! Until the last time this occurred (a couple of weeks ago at camp) when using only a mineral sunscreen
I suspect it's some chemical used in the production of sunscreen (an inactive ingredient rather than the active sunscreen itself) that causes a reaction when triggered by the sun. It's been very hard to find answers and our pediatrician had to clue what the cause might be. Trial and error. I need to keep a journal.
I always apply sunscreen because I'm a fair skinned strawberry blond. I went on a cruise once and forgot to reapply. I was so red that I turned purple! Got sun poisoning and couldn't leave the cabin for a whole day because it was too painful to even wear clothes! I never forgot to reapply again!
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