June 6-12 is dubbed “Sun Safety Week” nationwide, but living here in the Sunshine State makes it all the more important. Each summer, Solantic Baptist Urgent Care sees multiple patients with painfully severe sunburns or sun poisoning, an allergic reaction to the sun also called “photodermatitis.” This time of year, students of all ages are out of school on summer break and vacationing or weekending adults are looking for a little R&R. What better place to relax, recreate and have some fun than Florida’s sandy, sunny beaches. But if you’re not careful, you could end up back indoors nursing a painful condition for the remainder of your time off.

Solantic Baptist Urgent Care and the Sun Safety Alliance offer tips to "block the sun - not the fun!"

With a typical sunburn, your skin will take on a not-so-flattering shade rather than the bronze glow flaunted by swimsuit models fronting bottles of sun screen. It likely will itch and eventually peel. Chances are, you’ve had lots of experience with those. But severe sunburn may also bring small blisters that can become infected and require topical treatments. And if your day in the sun ends with nausea, fever, headache, dizziness, fluid loss and / or electrolyte imbalance, chances are you’ve got a case of sun poisoning. In this case, head to your nearest Solantic Baptist Urgent Care Center for treatment as soon as possible. If your condition worsens into extreme pain or vomiting, or if your fever tops 104 degrees, we’ll get you to an emergency room where you may need IV fluids to restore your hydration. A physician may also prescribe an oral steroid to reduce inflammation.

Solantic Baptist Urgent Care and the Sun Safety Alliance offer a few tips for avoiding and treating sunburns and sun poisoning:

- Keep covered whether you’re sunbathing or playing sports. Don a wide-brimmed hat and smooth on a sun block of at least SPF 30. Know that different beaches have different colored sands that reflect the sun in various intensities. The whiter the sand, the worse you’re liable to burn.

- Insect repellants can reduce your sunscreen’s SPF by 1/3rd, so up your SPF if you plan to use both a sunscreen and bug spray.

- Don’t count on just one slathering of the sun block. Reapply after dips in the water or playing sports. Be sure to reapply sun block to children’s skin even more often – especially rambunctious little ones who run, splash and play a lot.

- Seek the shade, especially between 10 am and 4pm when the sun’s UV rays are strongest.

- If you do get a sunburn that causes mild discomfort, drink lots of water and apply ice or a cold compress to reduce swelling or itching. Apply aloe and avoid oils, fragrances and exfoliants. Take aspirin or beta-carotene supplements to ward off pain and inflammation.

- For a more painful sunburn, soak for a bit in cool (not cold) water and pat, don’t rub your skin dry. Up your water intake and, if nausea hits, head to the urgent care center or emergency room.

- Keep in mind that a sunburn is more than a temporary nuisance. Each one makes you more likely to develop skin cancer in the long run.

Remember the Sun Safety Alliance’s motto: “Block the sun – not the fun!”

Urgent care clinics nationwide, and particularly those located in Sunny Florida, are prepared for the Spring Break season. March and April historically bring more walk-in patients to both hospital emergency rooms and urgent care clinics. And Florida is a prime Spring Break state with is warm temperatures, beautiful beaches and oceanfront hotels and condo rentals. Solantic Walk-In Urgent Care clinics are located throughout Florida and we’re prepared for all the most common Spring Break injuries and illnesses.

• If you drink, drink moderately. Alcohol begins to affect the brain within five minutes of consumption and one of the most common reasons for Spring Break hospital visits is alcohol poisoning. Many travelers report drinking far more than their normal weekly consumption during Spring Break and too often, overestimate their alcohol tolerance. Consider non-alcoholic beers or mixed drinks instead.
• Designate a driver. Any highway patrol officer or hospital emergency room worker no doubt has a full roster of horror stories to tell of alcohol-related auto crashes that killed or left Spring Breakers with traumatic, sometimes life-long injuries. Drunk driving most definitely spikes during Spring Break. Make sure you don’t end your trip with more than a hangover.
• Don’t take an open drink from a stranger. This applies to anyone, but is a particularly important rule for women. Date rape drugs like GHB, Rohypnol and Ketamine give no warnings because they are colorless, odorless, have no taste and don’t cause bubbles or other visible changes when dropped into drinks. They act fast and can render a victim unconscious and/or unable to fight off an attacker, leaving him or her vulnerable to physical or sexual assault. We recommend getting your drinks directly from your server or bartender and never leaving them unattended. If you think you may have been drugged, seek medical help immediately and try to preserve any evidence for investigators.
• Don’t take that dare! This is a big one for you guys. Something about Spring Break brings out the machismo and tempts many a young man to take physical risks either to prove himself or just get a laugh from his buddies. Emergency rooms and urgent care centers all have treated broken limbs, burns and lacerations with explanations beginning with the words “We’re on Spring Break and my buddy dared me to…”
• Slather on the sun block. We see a lot of sun poisoning and severe sun burn cases each year, particularly among fair skinned people or those unaccustomed to the coastal life. Even those who live near the coast often fail to realize that differences in beach sands can factor into sunburn severity. For instance, sands in Northwest Florida along Pensacola and Panama City Beach are finer and whiter than are Atlantic sands in Northeast Florida, which are courser and darker in color. Those white sands are more reflective and can cause much quicker and more severe sunburns.

Currently, there are 31 Solantic Walk-In Urgent Care Clinics located throughout Florida. If you’re traveling in Florida for Spring Break, make sure you know where the nearest urgent care clinic and hospital emergency room is located. Also know that while urgent care clinics can provide treatment for many types of illnesses and injuries such as cuts, burns and some broken bones, more severe medical conditions require emergency room care. Before your trip, know when to choose urgent care over ER care. Follow the tips above and enjoy your Spring Break for many healthy years to come.