How Long Does Sun Poisoning Last? Spending time outdoors during the summer months is an amazing, fun-filled experience. The many green spaces, like Little Sugar Creek Greenway, beckon to be explored. What is less enjoyable, however, is the dark pink or red skin burns from the harmful components of the sun’s warm rays. For fair-skinned people, or individuals with increased susceptibility to sun damage, they may develop an allergic reaction called sun poisoning, which ...