Could I be allergic to the sun?

[JenJen33]

When I was 10 years old, I got a pretty bad sunburn which caused me to swell up all over my arms, and I got pretty sick. Since then whenever I get a sunburn, even if it's extremely mild or just covering a small area, I swell up, get sick, have chills, and basically feel awful for a few days.

I do not break out in a rash from sunlight. The reaction I have is when my skin actually turns a little red that I swell and get sick (by sick, I mean I usually get nauseated or throw up). I was hoping this was something that would go away with age. I'm 25 now, and went to a concert this year without sunblock (how smart of me), and my face got a little sunburned. The little bit of redness on my face caused my whole face to swell up to the point where I almost couldn't see out of my eyes. It took a little over a week for all the swelling to go down.

Any ideas what this could be?

[jagesh50]

By ruling out the rarer ones you can be of the firm futting that it is nothing more than a severe type of ordinary sunburn.Few blood tests would help to do so.Contact a good derm.

[jagesh50]

Perhaps you have is angioodema of solar origin,again extremely rare,but why one should think of all this rather than a regular sun burn?Because of systemic symptoms like vomiting associated with. .Atarax tab would be of great help during symptoms.

[JenJen33]

I've never broken out in a rash or hives from a sunburn which is the main symptoms of solar/cholinergic urticaria.

[jagesh50]

Solar urticaria it is and uncommon,you have to differentiate it from cholinergic uticaria which is sweat induced.Do get examined.