Severe Sunburn

[Michelle1988]

I went to Bear Lake last Saturday and was only out in the sun for 3-4 hours.  I used SPF 50 twice and thought I'd be ok.  The next morning I woke up with horrible pain in my legs and nausea which lead to vomiting and a fever.  The leg pain is so bad that 4 Ibuprofen every 8 hours barely touches it.  When I get out of bed and all the blood rushes to my legs it is so painful that all I can do is cry.  I consider myself a fairly tough person (when I had a gallbladder attack I didn't even cry), but I can barely walk.  It literally takes me 15 minutes to stand up out of bed.  What should I do? I asked my doctor and he said time.  I think it might be worse than that.  It now has blisters that are an inch big all over my legs and are weeping.  What do I do? I'm miserable. Thanks.

[Michelle1988]

It's now been six weeks since the burn and my legs are still a bit swollen and painful. They are extremely sensitive and still a dark reddish purple color. What am I supposed to do? I went to the doctor and he just said time, but I think 6 weeks should've been sufficient. I'm still putting aloe and lotion on them and they are still peeling. Is this normal? Do I need to see a specialist?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
For such kind of sunburns, you need to consult ER immediately. Sunburn results when the amount of exposure to the sun or other ultraviolet light source exceeds the ability of the body's protective pigment, melanin, to protect the skin.

Apply cool compresses on the area and take bath with cool(not very cold) water. Do not scrub your skin or shave your skin and use a soft towel and gently pat your skin dry. Also use a sunburn Over-The-Counter remedy containing aloe vera and a light moisturizer or a dusting powder to relieve chafing. You can apply silver sulfadiazine (1% cream) on the skin except face till the time you consult a doctor.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.

[Michelle1988]

My ankles are so swollen that they're about 3 times as wide as the widest part of my feet.  My legs are also severely swollen and hard.