Sun allergy can occur not only in people with fair skin but also in those taking certain medications, particularly antibiotics. This was reported by Valery Litvinov, Candidate of Medical Sciences and PNIPU expert.
According to him, people with fair and red hair are at increased risk: their bodies have less melanin, a pigment that protects the skin from ultraviolet light. Therefore, such skin is more quickly damaged by the sun.
However, reactions can also appear in others. For example, when taking tetracycline and quinolone antibiotics, the skin becomes more sensitive to sunlight. A similar effect can be caused by St. John's wort extract – it accumulates in the skin and, when heated, provokes a false immune reaction.
In addition, such reactions are more common in people with impaired DNA repair mechanisms in skin cells, as well as in conditions such as systemic lupus erythematosus or xeroderma pigmentosum.
Sun allergy usually manifests as itching, rashes, and swelling. This happens because the immune system mistakenly perceives skin proteins altered by ultraviolet light as a threat and triggers a protective reaction.
