Do I have Polymorphic Light Eruption...?? - Allergies Message Board

Misty05 · 05-03-2008, 08:36 AM

PLEASE HELP!!

For as long as I can remember I have always thought I suffered from prickly heat until a friend suggested I may have PMLE. After reading all about PMLE on the internet the symptons sound exactly like what I experience every year when I go abroad...I sometimes dont get it in England for some reason!!

I only have to spend 5 minutes in the sun and my skin erupts with a red rash (I get it on my arms, tops of legs, back and chest). Often the pain is quite severe and it feels like I have hundreds of bugs crawling underneath my skin. And it itches like crazy!! I have tried lots of different things to help stop this rash:

Taking anti-histamines before and during my holiday

Using various different sun creams (Piz Buin - allergy and an organic sun cream)

None of the above work. The only thing that stops it is going in a swimming pool or the sea or covering myself up from head to toe which is not ideal when you want to enjoy yourself on holiday and everyone else is able to sit in the sun. The rash does go down on a nighttime but as soon as my skin see's the sun the rash comes back.

Last year when I went to Greece I even got the rash on a cloudy day!!

I do have very, very fair skin (blonde hair and blue eyes and lots of freckles), but I find it so frustrating not to be able to get a bit of Vitamin D. (I'am 30 years old)

This year I am going to Portugal in September and have bought some SPF 50 Loreal sun mist spray for sun intollerant skin.

I feel very, very reluctant to go to my doctor as I do not have the rash at the moment and he/she would probably say to me "just stay out of the sun"!!!!

Does anyone have any other suggestions as it really does get me down??

Thanks.

rheanna · 05-03-2008, 08:49 AM

Misty05,

It's frustrating, I know. Hopefully someone will have another suggestion for you, but until then, my suggestion is to stay out of the sun.

I too have very fair skin. I don't get a rash and hives as you do, but my skin goes from white to red without passing through brown. Ever. When I used to live in sunny California, on a summer day I would get pink in 15 minutes and red in 20. Every around me was just sitting around enjoying the sun. I used to envy dark-skinned people. I got so tired of sunburns that I just decided to accept that the sun and I don't get along.

--Rheanna

Misty05 · 05-03-2008, 09:09 AM

Thanks Rheanna,

Thanks for your quick reply.

It's so hard to stay out of the sun when your on holiday. As I live in the north of England and working fulltime you dont get many chances to enjoy the sun....I do go brown but it takes me a little while. I'm by no means a sun worshipper but it's nice to sit out in it without having to be covered up from head to toe!!....I'll see if anyone else has any suggestions.

Misty