"Polymorphous light eruption (PMLE) — PMLE, which usually appears as an itchy rash on sun-exposed skin, is the second most common sun-related skin problem seen by doctors, after common sunburn. It occurs in an estimated 10% to 15% of the U.S. population, affecting people of all races and ethnic backgrounds. Women are affected by PMLE more often than men, and symptoms typically begin during young adult life. In temperate climates, PMLE is usually rare in the winter, but common during the spring and summer months. In many cases, the PMLE rash returns every spring, immediately after the person begins spending more time outside. As spring turns into summer, repeated sun exposure may cause the person to become less sensitive to sunlight, and the PMLE rash either may disappear totally or gradually become less severe. Although the effects of this desensitization process, called "hardening," usually last through the end of the summer, the PMLE rash often returns at full intensity the following spring." (Mayo Clinic)
Spring is in the air, warmth is around the corner, the tulips are a-bloomin', and everyone is just rearing and ready to get their butts outside for some good, old fashioned bbq-n'! Am I right? Well, sort of. All of that sounds amazing, along with the prospect of spending extra hours outdoors taking long walks in my shore town community with the husband and kiddos, but here is the problem: for me, this time of year is a balancing act. A time where I must train my focus on trying yet again to get through the next 5-6 months without potentially painful sores and rashes on my arms, legs, face, neck, back, stomach...well, you get the idea.
Let me step back. This all began when I was about 19 years old. I was living in a dorm on campus with my sister at the college both she and I attended, when I noticed my forearms started feeling itchy. Naturally, I relieved the sensation by, well, scratching the areas that bothered me. Skip ahead a couple of weeks, and the itchy areas had spread the length of my arms and up onto my neck. The small, red bumps were not only extremely itchy, but painful. I didn't tell anyone what was going on other than my sister. I was embarrassed and wore long sleeves and a scarf everywhere I went even though the weather was uncomfortably warm. Inevitably, this made the rash worse and they slowly turned into small open sores. At this time in my life, I was going through a lot already. I no longer played sports year round, so the freshman 15 slowly turned into the freshmen 20...then 25. I was 150 lbs, out of shape, socially anxious, and overall miserable.
Finally, after a few months of the rash not subsiding, my mother took me to a doctor where he gave me a strong anti-histamine (I had taken over the counter anti-histamines and cremes, but nothing worked) and it helped keep the itching to a minimum so that my arms and neck had the time to heal. This particular doctor also suggested I change laundry detergent, hair product, body wash, etc. to brands that were hypo-allergenic. I also did a bit of research of my own, and discovered that my mother's side of the family seemed to have allergies toward certain forms of metal...thus, I stopped wearing any and all jewelry containing metal. All of these changes have helped keep the worse of the symptoms at bay until the autumn and winter months bring shorter days, with less sunlight, equaling less likelihood of any strong reaction (though I have had issues during the winter months, but they are easily quashed with anti-histamine drugs).
Fast-forward spring 2014. I had gone years without any large flair-ups, other than 1-2 weeks bursts of rashes that I could manage, but for some reason that particular Spring brought on warmer than normal weather, resulting in more time spent outside without a gradual "reintroduction" into the newly lit skies of April, and I was left with extremely painful rashes on my face, neck, and ears. The odd thing about this particular allergy is that it "travels". For example: if I have an allergy attack on my face, I have to be extremely careful not to itch anywhere else on my body, even if the itch is unrelated to the actual allergic reaction. Because if I *do* itch, say, my leg, I will be guaranteed the beginnings of an outbreak in that area due to the high level of histamines working through my body at that time. My sister jokingly calls these movements of my hives: travelers. And it's so true! haha <--- gotta laugh, right?
So! Here I sit today, and while the weather has been seasonably miserable this late March, the days are getting longer and I've noticed hives appearing on the side of my neck. Gah! While it's only a small section, I know that this could change drastically and quickly. Needless to say, I will be taking some anti-histamine medication, along with being extremely careful as to what lotions and skin care products I use, because I am determined to try and make it through the next few months with minimal painful breakouts!
Now back to your regularly scheduled program of yummy foods and me-no-more-whining!
