Native Floridian... Allergic to the sun??

[SandrA9810]

Summer is finally starting, which is nice in one way, but not this. Over the past few weeks of going to the flea markets on the weekends, my arms are getting red itchy bumps. Once I leave the sun and cool off, my arms feel more painful if I rub them. After the weekend, it takes about a day for it to go away completely.

I grew up in Florida, and worked at Disney outside for 2 1/2 years, I'm no stranger to the sun or sunburns. I sometimes try to wear sunblock, but I usually don't. This is the first time this has ever happened. Is it possible to develop a reaction after this many years?

Last year I saw a doctor for some moles, and she said my skin looked fine. She removed one mole only because it was a nuisance, and the biopsy test came back negative.

 

[low-key]

Sure is possible, our body's make up is always changing

 

[ilovepcot]

Can't help but wonder if it's something you're coming into contact with at the flea market that you're allergic to.

 

[NotUrsula]

If it's PMLE it can definitely develop later in life. Doctors like to joke that the typical new PMLE case is "4F": fat, fair, female, and over-40. (You don't have to have all four to be affected, it's just that a lot of people do.)

 

[ilovepcot]

If it's PMLE it can definitely develop later in life. Doctors like to joke that the typical new PMLE case is "4F": fat, fair, female, and over-40. (You don't have to have all four to be affected, it's just that a lot of people do.)

I'd forgotten about that. Had a neighbor who developed it and she was born and raised in FL. She had always been into outdoor activities without a problem and she developed PMLE when she was in her early 30's. Symptoms do sound the same.

 

[SandrA9810]

Can't help but wonder if it's something you're coming into contact with at the flea market that you're allergic to.

I thought this at first. I had a mosquito bite on my right arm. And there's a produce vendor I buy from every weekend, well it's a couple that sells what they grow. They put out those green "grass carpets", you know the plastic like stuff people put on back porches and patios? Well they put that under their trays of food, and I started to rub my arm on it to itch my mosquito bite. That was the first weekend it showed up. I thought maybe there was something in there that caused my arms to get irritated.
Disappeared the following day, so I didn't think much of it. Then the following weekend, it happened again. Which made me go Hmmm Now this is the third or fourth weekend it has popped up. And today, which was a little overcasted, it didn't show up until I sat on the ground to go through boxes of CDs. Once my arms were in that direct sunlight, I could feel them start to turn red and become itchy.

I also managed to get a sunburn on the inside of my knees, from sitting cross-legged on the ground. Hopefully that'll go away soon enough.

I only meet one of the 4F's... female. Well I suppose I could be fair skinned when I haven't seen the sun all winter long.

 

[pumba]

our granddaughter is allergic to the sun also. She was a senior in high school when it developed the worse....But when we thought back to it we remembered going to disney and she was all broken out on her face, neck and arms...her legs didnt appear to be bothered...the dermatologist told her she was allergic to the sun and to use some type of sun screen which she did ...but now uses just a 30 ...she is in her fourth year of college and takes care of her skin....she is female, perfect, and a red head.....

 

[Pixiedust34]

I developed a rash last spring that lasted well over a month. It turned out to be a sun allergy.

My dermatologist gave me a prescription that works well for it and I always use sunscreen. At places like WDW, I wear carpris instead of shorts and try to stay in the shade when possible. I still get a little of the rash, but that prescription helps so much. If you think you have a sun allergy, see a dermatologist.

 

[SandrA9810]

I already wear boy shorts that go to my knees. I hate my thighs, and hate showing them off in shorts. I even have swim shorts, and wear a surf like shirt over my tankini top. So I do try to stay covered up when I know I'm going to be in the sun. I haven't even moved over to my smaller summer tees (with shorter sleeves) and tank tops, I'm still wearing regular t-shirts with sleeves just above my elbows.
This is going to be one long summer if I don't readjust to the sun. Going back to Dallas for most of it, with a weekend Family reunion in Arkansas. So it's going to be much more intense sun there than here in California.

I also talked with some one recently. They said that UVB rays were more cancer causing than UVA rays (I believe that's right). Any case, UVA rays is what causes sunburns, which is what most sun screens protect against. Since the recent discovery that it's the UVB rays that cause cancer, makers of sunscreen are using ingredients to protect more against UVB rays, leaving more consumers with sunburns that are caused by UVA rays.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Do you by chance have any other allergies?

I have a dog allergy and my body goes berserk when we go to the flea market. They sell lots of puppies and the dander is just horrible!

I don't necessarily think you have spontaneously developed a sun allergy though.

An allergist or a dermatologist would be able to help you in identifying what those red bumps are.

It is odd that this seems to be happening with your going to the flea market. Does it happen when you go to the park or the beach, or anyplace else?

 

[SandrA9810]

Do you by chance have any other allergies?

I have a dog allergy and my body goes berserk when we go to the flea market. They sell lots of puppies and the dander is just horrible!

I don't necessarily think you have spontaneously developed a sun allergy though.

An allergist or a dermatologist would be able to help you in identifying what those red bumps are.

It is odd that this seems to be happening with your going to the flea market. Does it happen when you go to the park or the beach, or anyplace else?

Well I don't spend much time out in the sun the rest of the week. Mostly it's from the house to the car to the store. That's the same thing I would tell people when I worked at Disney, they thought because I was a native Floridian I was used to the heat. I told them "No, as a native Floridian, we know how to go from the air conditioned house, to the full blast air conditioned car, to the cold air conditioned store".

We go for walks around the park, but that's at sunset for an hour or so, not the heat of the day like the flea market. We're usually at the flea market from 11am-3pm, give or take an hour.