Could you be allergic to sunlight?

Anxiously awaiting to get a tan on and showing off that beautiful bronzed skin, only to end up with your skin full of angry rash? Even though you applied the required amount of sunblock on your skin,  followed the instructions on the bottle but still end up looking like a cooked lobster. Well, believe it or not, although unheard of by many, one out of six people suffer from sun allergy. It doesn’t help when you’re living on a sunny island like Singapore as well. These rashes are caused by various reasons – ranging from simple sun exposure to spending time in the sun whilst using sunscreen.

Today we will be covering the most common of all sun allergies – Polymorphic Light Eruption (PLE). This rash usually appears as red, tiny bumps or slightly raised patches of skin and is more common in women than men that normally start in the late teens to early 20s. Unfortunately, once it occurs, it tends to come back around the same time every year.

What is it?

This is an immune reaction – causing your skin cells slight changes as soon as the light hits the skin. When this happens, the bodies tend to react to these changes and fight them off only to cause itchy spots or blisters to the PLE sufferers.

How to treat it?

Using a sunblock of SPF25 and above will reduce the risk of you rashes and blisters appearing on your skin. Do also note that it is crucial to use a product protecting from both UVA and UVB as most products usually, block UVB when UVA rays are the main culprit that causes the allergic reaction. If you are having difficulties finding a product that contains UVAB and UVB, try looking for something that contains titanium – they block out the sunlight, completely. Antihistamine tablets may also be helpful because an allergic reaction causes your body to release excessive amounts of histamine. Another way of treatment would be to expose yourself to sunlight – start by a few minutes a day to build up your resistance.

Sonia Lourdes

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