Pins and Needles with sunburn?

[StevenV]

So I went to the beach 4 days ago, and I got a sunburn only on my back, and it hasnt even been that bad and it hasnt even bothered me until last night, and now it feels like I am being stabbed randomly with needles all over my back. Its complete random and it will not stop.

this prevented me from sleeping last night even though i took sleeping medication, i've tried cold and hot showers, aloe Vera, wet washcloths, baths, every remedy i could find for a sunburn and all of them just agitated it more.

i cant hold still for more than 3 seconds and it is driving me absolutely insane, i have broken many bones in my past and i would gladly break them again to get some medication for this pain.

so what exactly is going on with my sunburn and what can i do to fix it? this is my last resort before i go to the hospital.

any help is appreciated thanks

[jemma116]

Well, it works brilliantly to relieve sunburn.  Applying lots of yogurt to a muscle strain/sprain also works.  

Yes, I too laughed at it when I first heard that, but I have done this on my self and on other members of the family when needed and it certainly does work.

Last year I had a dreadful sprain to my foot having fallen backwards into a ditch and could not put my foot down.  I applied lots of cold natural yogurt to the foot, gently wrapped it and kept my weight off as it was horrendously painful.  I was wheeled into the ER at the hospital the next morning because I could not walk because of the pain and after having an x-ray, I could not believe it.  It was if a miracle had happened and the leg was fine as if nothing had happened and I walked out the hospital just fine.  Whether a cold compress would have worked the same is debatable!

Applying natural yogurt to itchy and sore skin in the genital area due to Thrush problems also works to alleviate and calm the skin.

There are lots of natural and herbal remedies that sometimes work far better than any man-made medicines.

Taking some types of antibiotics will also cause adverse reactions to the skin when exposed to the sun.

Skin disorders like Rosacea are also exacerbated by exposure to the sun, cold and the wind and avoidance to sun exposure is far better than a cure.

[Pennylover]

I've lived with this affliction (Photo Sensitivity) for a good four years now, it's essentially a slight allergic reaction to the pigment that your skin cells disperse when you tan/burn. I know it sounds delusional to say someone can be allergic to their own body but it's a real thing and like some of you say; it can be excruciatingly debilitating.
I've spent a long time researching, and going from dermatologist to dermatologist, having UV allergen therapy and such and the only things I find help are Benadryl or another antihistamine, and gradual exposure.
Usually you'll find that the worst bouts of this reaction happen after you've spent a long time with no significant amount of exposure to the sun, so at the beginning of spring and the beginning of summer is when I will spend 10 minutes a day in direct sunlight and gradually increase it. By November I can spend a whole day in the sun without sunscreen and have no reaction whereas at the beginning of spring I don't even need to get burnt to break out in hives and have a full blown allergic reaction.
I live in Australia in a small coastal city and have been a beachy person my whole life so to say that this condition is less than desirable is a huge understatement but if I can desensitize myself completely by the middle of summer I think anyone can. But also in saying that I have to add that what works for me may not work for anyone else.

Also, as an Enrolled Nurse, I have to say I laughed at the yogurt thing. There are no anti-inflammatory properties in yogurt, or live yogurt, or any of the bacteria in live yogurt. And even if there were, the stabbing itchy feeling isn't caused by inflammation.

[bruiz1994]

So glad I came across this post. This same thing happened to me last week. We had just gotten back from the beach. I had a slight sunburn on my back. Nothing horrible. I have had many sunburns before, including some that made me blister. This was just slight pink. On our first night home (about 3 days after I got the sunburn) I woke up with this slight pins and needles sensation on my back. I thought nothing of it and tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn't. 3 or 4 hours had passed by and it was driving me crazy. I tried putting aloe vera on my back. WORST DECISION EVER! This made it much worse. It felt like someone kept shocking me with a taser on my back in multiple locations at the same time. I tried taking a warm shower, a cold shower, putting lotion on, even just holding the cold aloe vera bottle on my back. Everything just made it worse. I never had anything like this happen to me before, so I looked it up and came across these posts. I saw that Benadryl helped, so I drove to Walgreens at 5am to pick some up. I took 2 and 30 mins later it was still getting worse. I started crying, so much so I woke up my husband. He didn't know what to do either. He read some more blogs that said cold helped. We have tile floor, so I literally laid on the floor with no shirt and rocked side to side so it would calm down. He thought maybe Advil would help, so I took 3. 1 hour later it was still getting worse. I started screaming and crying. I was about ready to run to the ER even though we don't have health insurance. I took one more Benadryl and laid on the bed crying. My husband started rubbing my back gently, and for some reason that helped tremendously! As long as he kept rubbing my back it was tolerable but as soon as he stopped it started all over again. I ended up falling asleep like this and when I woke up about 5 hours later it had stopped. I used to love to be outside and didn't care about wearing sunscreen, but I will NEVER get a sunburn again. This is absolutely the worst pain I have ever felt. Good luck to anyone who is unfortunate enough to get this.

[jemma116]

Benadryl makes you feel drowsy, so that is probably why it helped.

Plain cold yogurt is best for sunburn.  It cools and draws out the inflammation.

[rick824]

I went through this agonizing process yesterday, I still have random pins and needle pains but they've subsided to large degree.

It hurt enough for me to scream a few times last night and I'm a pretty big guy with a fairly high pain threshold.

I took a healthy dose of benadryl and about a half hour after taking it the intense pins and needle feeling that was rippling across my back subsided and I was able to sleep. I don't know if it just ran its course or if the benadryl helped.

I had shingles on my back a few years ago and my gut tells me that my nerve endings are extremely delicate as I get older and maybe there is some sort of reaction, sort of like an allergic reaction, associated with this.

I tried aloe vera and solarcaine and those only seemed to further the issue, I put a towel in the freezer and it seemed to help a little when applied.

But really I have no clue what helped other than either letting it run its course or the benadryl.

Good luck to anyone that goes through this, it is extremely painful and you have my sympathy.

[silverfox67]

Vinegar is what  I use for sunburn - usually stops the itch, burn and discomfort immediately

[cissy333]

I do get that when I go out in the sun and get a sunburn at first im alright then its starts to stab then after that it itches like crazy it could be a medicine that your on or it could be too much sun

[jemma116]

I bet you haven't tried natural live yogurt!

Apply it to the skin, it will feel cold.  Yogurt draws out the inflamation and is cooling.  Put a lot on, not just a little.  Don't rub it into the skin, just apply lots of it on.  You may need more than a few applications if it very severe.

Works wonders on muscle strains and sprains too.

Best avoid getting burnt in the future.  But make sure when out in the sun you are either covered up or keeping applying and reapplying the sunblock as directed on the instructions.  

I have suffered with sunburn and sunstroke so know what it's like.

Best wishes