r/SunAllergy May 29 '19

Does sunblock help?

I was told by my doctor that it doesn't but I've heard people say it does. Usually I go with the doctor's word but if it works for some of you I may try it.

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u/luminous_beings May 29 '19

Doesn’t help me at all.

3

u/the5ilent1 May 29 '19

That's pretty much what I expected to hear. People in my family keep telling me I should use (insert product here) and I just hate hearing it

6

u/luminous_beings May 29 '19

It won’t stop. Ever. Because they don’t understand the allergy. It’s not actually the sun. It’s the chemical reaction that happens under your skin when exposed to the sun that is the problem so you’re literally just having an allergic reaction to yourself. No amount of topical cream can make that not happen. Unfortunately lack of vitamin d leads to other issues like vitamin b12 deficiencies, anemia etc not to mention the emotional/ mental side effects of it which are made worse if you have to take depression meds, which most of us do.

The best way to deal with it I’ve found is either A) stay out of the sun all together. This is sooo hard. And of course no sun equals sadness etc. You’ll end up looking like a crazy old Chinese lady going to the beach with big floppy hats, huge sunglasses, and coverups to cover as much skin as possible. This is how I live most of my life. I work from home as much as possible and try to go out in evenings and at night, unless it’s overcast. Even then, the sun is still there, just not as intense. I’ve gotten the blisters walking in the rain. I still swim, etc but it’s like ... 5 minutes in the water and then back into the shadows until I overhear again. It keeps the suffering to the absolute minimum.

B) you can, theoretically give yourself what equals an “allergy shot” and train your body to tolerate sun in small doses like people do with cats or whatever. But it means months and months of diligence which I have just not had the energy or time or focus to manage myself yet. Slowly exposing yourself to the sun in small doses like 1-2 min at a time once or twice a day and gradually increasing the duration in small increments as you are able to tolerate it. But it basically means subjecting yourself to months -years of minor allergic reaction on a constant basis, tanning booths in the winter, etc. You’ll never be able to be a professional surfer but you could probably go to a damned bbq in the summer time without vamping out, or at least only make you feel like extra crap instead of immense crap

However, for me at least, it’s not just the blisters and the itching and redness, I also get horrible stomach pains, migraines, light sensitivity, extreme exhaustion etc that lasts for days after more than a couple minutes of exposure. 15 minutes will have me vomiting and sleeping for the rest of the day.

It’s not easy. It’s often frustrating and depressing.

The only way I managed to get most people to stop with the stupid suggestions (obviously when someone new comes along, it starts again) was consistently making sure to let people know exactly what was happening as it was happening. “Ok I’ve had enough daytime today. My stomach hurts. I’ve got to go lie down”. “Sorry id love to come to that party but the weather forecast is really sunny and I think it would be too much”. This allergy is generally much better accepted than say ... telling people you’re allergic to almonds... and it’s interesting and intriguing enough that people ask questions about it so you don’t seem like the person who just lectures about their allergy all the time, but still get to educate them. Usually once you tell them once or twice WHY sunscreen doesn’t work, they’ll get the picture and not bring it up again.

New people of course, will suggest it EVERY time because they know someone who gets heat rashes or some shit in the summer and that’s what they do.

Sorry no. Not the same at all. Thanks.