On vacation- Sun poisoning rash - help!!!

[samuel's mama]

Hey friends at mothering... I am finally on vacation on a beautiful beach in Florida and have developed what I think is sun poisoning. I was outside for about 15 minutes on our first day before putting sunscreen on...then spent a few hours outside after putting sunscreen on. I got a red, bumpy, raised rash on my right arm (this side got the most sun), on the right side of my chest and the front of the lower part of my legs. The next couple of days, I tried to limit time outside (I know-sad, being that is why I came to the beach) and switched to a 70% organic sunscreen with zinc oxide. The rash on my legs is pretty much gone, but now the rash on my chest has spread across to the other side and this thing burns and is really, really itchy! Scratching it only makes it worse and I am so uncomfortable but can't help myself from scratching! Can anyone give me any advice?

I am going to a natural food store about 40 minutes away first thing in the morning, so any advice tonight would be greatly appreciated. When I called there they said they have a homeopathic remedy for rashes caused by water or heat... I think it is called sulfur or sulfa. Anyone heard of this?

Right now I am continually cutting off chunks of an aloe plant and rubbing that on it which gives me some relief but it is just temporary. Wondering if I should get some cortaid to help stop the itching or if that could just cause more problems and make me even more sun sensitive.

Any ideas for prevention, relief, or sunscreen brands (the natural food store has Alba, Aubrey organics, All-Terrain, and Jason) would be greatly appreciated! There is also a Walmart and Target nearby where perhaps their pharmacies could carry specialty sunscreens. I just really want to enjoy the rest of our vacation instead of be miserably itchy!

Thanks in advance for any advice/ideas!

[pianojazzgirl]

Sounds miserable. I might be tempted to take some Benadryl to see if that offers some relief.

[sbgrace]

When my sister got sun poisoning she was sick (flu type sick). Are you sure you're not sensitive to the sunscreen (or sun and sunscreen combo)? My son gets a blistery rash from most sunscreens. In his case I think it's the zinc oxide. But I guess since it's only in certain areas it's likely not an allergic reaction to sunscreen. At any rate you've got a severe eczema type reaction to sun (or sun and sunscreen). What I would try actually is benadryl and, if you can keep the area out of the sun, hydrocortisone cream. Ideally you'll avoid peak sun times (so early mornings and later evenings) and cover up instead of relying on sunscreen as much as possible.

[acupuncturemomma]

nak

just wanted to say there's a cream called florasone--the homeopathic version of hydrocortisone cream. maybe the hfs will have it.

[samuel's mama]

Thanks everyone for the responses.

I am definitely not sick with this, so I guess it can't be sun poisoning. I felt much, much better after washing the sunscreen off last night so I am thinking that might be the cause. If it is not the cause, it is definitely irritating it. I am going to stay out of the sun and not use sunscreen today and see what happens. Will post an update tomorrow.

I posted on a discussion forum (one for this local area) to see if locals have heard of this. One person said that it could be caused from the Oleander plant. This could be possible since I think I saw Oleander at the mini-golf course we have been to almost everday - pretty sure we took our picture practically in one!

Accupuncturemomma - thanks for the post on Florasone. I hope they have it! We are leaving for the natural food store in about an hour or so. Having another lazy vacation day and slept in really late. I know how hard it is to type while nak, so I appreciate the response!

If anyone else has any ideas for any natural remedies to help rashes, let me know. I will be checking this thread from my phone to see if there are any other ideas. Thanks again!

Oh and wanted to post this for others reading... through researching, I found out that many companies are adding another chemical to sunscreens (as if we needed another one) called Octocrylene and it is causing a lot of people to get a rash as a result. This chemical was in the sunscreen I used the first couple days I was here.

[melyssa66]

I have sun poisoning right now on vacation in Hawaii.  I have found the best relief for the itching, burning and flu like symptoms are to put a cold, wet cloth on the affected areas to cool them down.  After doing this for about 20 min, I physically felt better and my red bumps were almost gone (not completely).  I've been doing this everytime the symptoms start to reappear and it keeps them at bay.  Hope this solution helps someone else as much as it has helped me.