The smell of salt water is carried on a gentle, warm breeze. Gulls caw lethargically as they hover above thousands of glistening bodies soaking up some sunrays.

It's spring break and many students are heading to the beach, but for some sunbathers there may be a danger far worse than the gulls' bombardments.

With the cold weather bringing with it various illnesses, students who have been prescribed certain medications and are heading to the sunsoaked beaches can develop more than just a sunburn -- they can get an itchy rash.

"There's what we refer to as a phototoxic reaction," said Dr. Larry Dansky, a physician with University Health Services.

This occurs when chemicals found in certain antibiotics, tranquilizers, water pills or arthritis medications cause a reaction in some individuals when they are exposed to the sun.

In many cases the condition can be hard to distinguish from a normal sunburn, said Dr. Jerry Mikesell, a local dermatologist. The most obvious difference between the two skin conditions is the amount of time a person spends basking in the sun.

"You get someone that has been out in the sun only for a relatively short period of time and has gotten an intense reaction," he said. "That makes you suspicious that there was more to it than just the amount of sun that they had."

But sick students aren't the only people who should take cover. Dr. Gay Dunne, another dermatologist, said she prescribes several different antibiotics for acne that also have phototoxic potential.

"So it's sick and pimpled people," she said.

Dunne said the reaction depends on the chemicals involved and not on the person --anyone taking certain drugs can be affected.

"There is some component of either the drug itself or a breakdown product . . . that allows absorption of the ultraviolet rays," she said. "It's a photochemical reaction."

Because these rashes only develop in sunlight, the best way to prevent them is to stay in the shade.

"Sunscreens can also help with certain of these reactions, but some of them are being caused by the ultraviolet-A wavelength of light," Mikesell explained. "And a lot of the sunscreens don't really block that or they don't block it that well."

Usually if the reaction is mild, it can be left to go away on its own. For worse cases, Mikesell suggested topical lotions with cortisone or antihistamines to help soothe the skin.

Other chemicals besides medications may also cause a reaction. Although it is rare, certain artificial sweeteners may be phototoxic.

"I haven't seen that myself in my practice," Mikesell said. "I think there have been some cases on that, but I haven't seen them in my practice."

Dunne also warned against the hazards of lime juice.

"We have seen that putting lime juice on the skin and exposing it to the sun can cause blistering," she said.