dermatologic disorders
Sunburn
Symptoms and Signs of Sunburn
Symptoms and signs of sunburn appear in 1 to 24 hours and, except in severe reactions, peak within 72 hours (usually between 12 hours and 24 hours). Skin changes range from mild erythema, with subsequent superficial scaling, to pain, swelling, skin tenderness, and blisters. Constitutional symptoms (eg, fever, chills, weakness, shock), similar to those of a thermal burn, may develop if a large portion of the body surface is affected; these symptoms may be caused by the release of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1. Very sunburned skin may exfoliate days later. The most common complications of sunburn are secondary infection, permanent blotchy pigmentation, and significantly increased risk of skin cancer. Exfoliated skin may be extremely vulnerable to sunlight for several weeks. 