Historical sunburn still causing pain

[Needanewadventure2021]

Hey

Abit random but when I was 17 I went on holiday and my shin got severely sunburnt whilst in the shade. It was so bad I had to fly home early and recovery took a while.

Fast forward to now, 19 year later I still notice the area is very sensitive especially when the warm weather comes along. It tingles, aches and is generally uncomfortable. I touch it and it still feels sore like my nerves are firing. I have no marks or moles to be concerned of, but the skin on my shin is very dry. It does concern me all the same though as it's always the shin that I servely burnt when I was younger.

Struggling to get in the doctors but will continue trying but was wondering if anyone has experienced historical (healed) sunburn that is still sensitive and uncomfortable several years on?

T.I.A

So today I have actually found an indentation in my shin. Its flesh coloured and only found it as I was looking at my shin in the mirror to see if I could see any marking. I saw that. I haven't suffered any trauma to the area other than the burn 19 years ago.
Health anxiety isn't great do it's knocked me abit silly

Any ideas?

Do you suffer with general health anxiety, or are you just anxious about your shin ?

Has it always been sensitive (since you burnt it), or is that new?

It's an old burnt area effectively. Look that up and see what is suggested medically?

I expect you should use sunblock to protect it everyday.

Could it have triggered shingles in the area?

Or, could the original sunburn have actually been partly a first shingles episode and left you with post-herpetic neuralgia (nerve pain in the area)?

I'm wondering this, I've been sunburnt badly but don't get how you got so sunburnt you had to go home?

Yes especially if as the OP says she was in the shade! It definitely sounds like something other than sunburn.

I have was so badly caught by the sun I needed treatment in hospital. The blisters and burns took weeks to heal. That skin remains fragile and sensitive and shiny. I don’t think that’s unusual.

It came up in big yellow blisters. I could barely walk and it was making me really sick. The owner at the resort said it needed hospital treatment but I opted to choose to fly home early and get it looked at at home. I was 17 and away with friends. I wouldnt mind it was very cool and overcast that day. But I was very naive back then.

Its always been sensitive to touch and seems to become painful when the weather gets warmer. But now I've found this dent it's really knocked me silly. I got someone to check and they saw it straight away and it isn't like it's a very obvious dent. There's no discolouration or patches. No redness.

I have suffered with HA in the past but i felt like it was under control and haven't felt like this in a long time. But its been a really difficult year with my DS struggling with his needs so my HA could easily be triggered knowing how dependent he is on me.

Doesn't help that I can't speak to the doctors. The walk in around here tends to tell us they aren't their to replace your GP and you will need to go back to them.

I am panicking though

How did you manage to just burn your shin in the first place?

Are you worrying about it being cancer? It's unlikely to be, so try to let that go. More likely the burn has damaged the skin which has left it more sensitive. I have a patch on the back of my neck that's the same.

Can you post a picture?

I wish I could find a picture of how it was. It was red raw, huge weeping blisters. It felt like I was on fire. It was the first day of our holiday and was very overcast so we just lay on the sunbeds talking and drinking. Wouldn't shingles be all over the body. This was the shin only and the doctor confirmed upon coming home that it was sunburn. It did take ages to heal. I cant remember how long but the skin remained shiny and very sensitive and becomes painful in extremely cold and hot weathers.

The dent doesn't photograph annoyingly. But it is visible to the eye. I will see if I can find the right angle.

Yes the C has sprung to mind. Especially as I know how bad the burn was and how uncomfortable it currently it. Aches radiate into the ankle and knee. I know it's silly but as I say my young son is very dependent on me now his SN are making like difficult for him so I can understand why this would trigger me.

I've just googled shingles. It never looked like that

You poor thing. I'm sorry it's triggered your HA so badly. I used to suffer severely with HA so I know how consuming it is.
Keep trying your gp. Ask the receptionist if they have an econsult or email service where you can contact the doctor that way if they can't get you an appointment.

Not silly at all, our minds do love to jump to the worst case scenario!

Any pain going down your leg from your back/bum? Wondering it maybe it's something like sciatica that's making the nerves more sensitive?

No its definitely shin related. Goes as high as the knee and down to the ankle but the shin is the worst.

I'm taking my son away soon too for 2 weeks so I don't have much time to get into the doctors if I can at all. The next appointments available online are October!

I've just tried to photograph it but it shows nothing but you can see it straight away.

111 online says it's a GP so I know there is no point going to the walk in. It's doesn't help that I won't be able to speak to them until Monday and that's if I'm lucky

I can definitely understand how you got badly burned on just one area, OP.

Toward the end of our holiday in a hit country, I fell asleep under a parasol and didn't realise that the sun had moved around and my face was in direct sunlight.

First my face was bright red then turned to yellow, weeping blisters. The hotel medical centre sent me to the main hospital who said if we weren't travelling home the next day they would have admitted me.

I had strong antibiotics and moist, sterile
Face masks to wear (very like those paper pamper masks now).

Took ages to heal but did.

I now wear factor 50 all the time, and if I do get any colour on my face, my nose in particular comes up with white patches that don't colour.

Its not a worry though - I'm just extra careful now and keep any eye out for any changes.

Oh wow @EinsteinaGogo your poor face. I sympathise so much. Mine was my leg and honestly it made me so ill. I thought it was on fire. Nothing could touch it. Any clothing around it made the heat within it more intense, left exposed even a breeze caused me horrendous pain. I'm amazed I managed to fly home. I remember pulling on jeans to hide it and screaming.

My shin doesn't really tan. It breaks out in sun type spots and is extremely dry and shiny.

Now this dent is present though it has scared me. Probably because I have to have regular breast scans due to cystic tissue and one the the symptoms of breast cancer is skin dimpling/denting. I know the dent is on my shin but there is a dent I can see and feel and is uncomfortable

I think you're right to get it checked out when you can, just to put your mind at rest.

The type of sunburn you and I had was likely a second degree burn, which can impact nerve endings etc.

I'm not surprised you were screaming in pain at the time, OP. Imagine a fire had caused that damage, people would have been a lot more sympathetic. Sunburn just seems so 'everyday', doesn't it.

It became a joke that I managed to burn under the clouds. I'm quite fair skinned but I never ever expected that. Even in the sun I have never burnt to that extent.

Hopefully I can get into the doctors this week before we go away. Unfortunately I am the type of person who once I start to worry it is hard to get rid of. And it then consumes me. I bet if a doctor could put my mind at rest today I'd be ok. But I've spent the last two weeks trying to get a medication review for my son (which we need for our holidays) and I haven't been able to get him in so I'm not holding much hope of being seen

Have you written an email to your surgery, OP?

Perhaps putting down in writing both your son's issue and yours, the concern the delay is causing, and that you need to be seen, might prompt a response?

I'm going to do it now x

Excellent, that's a great idea, and you will have something concrete to refer back to if you still need to push them for an appointment.

Good luck and don't worry.