Photosensitivity Health Video

Last Update: October 23, 2008

Video By: LIVESTRONG.COM

Photosensitivity is an abnormal sensitivity of the skin to ultraviolet light, usually following exposure to certain oral or topical drugs or to other sensitizing chemicals and resulting in accelerated burning and blistering of the skin. Learn about the different causes of, symptoms of, and treatments for photosensitivity in this medical video.

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Transcript of this video

Take Action

Do not expose yourself to the sun too often
Use proper precautions before prolonged exposure to sun
Apply a local cortical steroid after exposure to the sun

About this Author

Dr. Susan McGladdery is a medical graduate from Oxford University in the UK and has a Master's Degree in Medical Sciences from Cambridge University. She has been a member of the Royal College of Physicians since 1991 and a member of the American Academy of Urgent Care since 2006. She trained as a Family Physician in the UK in Oxford and then in London. In a medical career that spans over 20 years, she has worked as a doctor in 5 countries on 3 continents and cared for patients from a multitude of different nationalities and backgrounds. Dr. McGladdery joined FirstMed Centers in mid 2002 and became Regional Medical Director in 2003.

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DR. SUSAN MCGLADDERY: Hello. My name is Dr. Sue McGladdery. I'm the medical director from FirstMed Centers in Budapest, Hungary. I'd like to give you some information about photosensitivity. This is a poorly understood reaction of skin to sunlight which probably involves the immune system. It occurs for no known reason of after exposure to certain drugs or chemicals. Sometimes it's a feature of systemic diseases including systemic lupus erythematosus or porphyria. It does not refer to the normal sunburn or chronic effects of sunlight in the skin. The diagnosis is clinical one. Photosensitivity results in a variety of unusual reactions which occur soon after brief sun exposure, for example solar urticaria. This is itching or urticaria that develops at the site of sun exposure within minutes and rarely, if a large area is involved, there may even be collapse, dizziness, and wheezing. Another condition is chemical photosensitivity and this occurs with over a hundred substances when ingested or applied topically. The substance is predisposed to skin reactions following sun exposure and the reactions may be phototoxic or photoallergic. In phototoxic reactions, certain compounds undergo reactions on exposure to light resulting in production of free radicals and inflammatory mediators. These cause tissue damage, pain, and redness like sunburn in sun-exposed skin only and they may be due, for example, to antibiotics such as tetracycline. In photoallergy, in this case, the light absorption causes structural changes in the drug or substance and the changed substance then provokes an allergic reaction and the symptoms include redness, itching, and sometimes this cause blister. How do we diagnose these conditions? By clinical history, skin findings, and the exclusion of other sun-sensitivity disorders. The treatment varies depending on the course. Often, the lesion is self-limited and they spontaneously improve as the sun progresses. Generally of course, we need to take care with sun exposure and applying a local corticosteroid can be helpful. If this very severe disease in this case oral immunosuppression may be needed and of course it's always a very good idea to exclude other medical disorders, such as systemic lupus erythematosus.