What? You are allergic to SUN?
Yes, I am. But not anaphylaxis allergic or XP allergic. So what happens when you are in the sun? I have, at most, 15-20 minutes in the sunshine before a few things happen. The first thing I notice is that my lips start burning. Then, I feel like my skin is burning and turns into a sensation that someone poured acid on my skin and it ITCHES! It's a deep intense itching that itches down to my bones. When I finally get out of the sun, I usually end up looking very flushed, break out in bumps, or even a rash. Here is a picture of a VERY mild bumping and rash on my cheeks.
I put a red circle around the bumpy part of the rash. I am not sure if you can really see it in this picture but my forehead is a bit blotchy also.
The rash is only on the one side because I was sitting near my sliding glass door. I did get a little redness on the other side because I was out in the sun for a few minutes after the initial eruption on my cheek. It still burns a little and my forehead itches pretty bad but with my homemade benadryl cream, it feels a LOT better. I'll post that picture tomorrow.
Do you never go outside then?
Oh no! I do go outside. I try to limit my time in the sun though. I take advantage of shaded areas, wear long sleeved shirts and cut a thumb hole at the bottom of the sleeves. If I am not on Benadryl already and I need to go out, I put on a face sun shield and cover up as much as possible. I don't like doing this very often though. Usually, I will just take Benadryl and be fast about getting back home.
I also tend to be a night owl. I sleep during the day. Since I live in Montana, I only have to worry about the summertime because the rest of the year it gets dark pretty early. Once it's dark, I am free to go outside as much as I want!
Why would you NOT want to wear your cover up?
Because I tend to scare the bejeezus out of people, have had the cops called on me, and have been followed by the police too. I have had people freak out when I went into a gas station for a drink and let's not even talk about the bank!
After all, if you look like this in Montana...
people automatically assume you are training to be the next unabomber. Dress like this anywhere and go to any store and they will think you are planning to rob the place. So, no, I try not to cover up. But, I may very well have to eventually because the burning acid on my skin and itching to my bones is horrible! Any suggestions for clothes, cover up shirts, face mask, etc for me for my sun allergy? I do highly suggest Coolibar products though. That is where I got my face shield and they have a lot of sun cover clothes. I am always looking for more places to try products from. If you know any, let me know and I will try it out and report back!
