Allergies Forum - Solar Urticaria


Solar Urticaria

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Kelli88

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Joined: 05 Sep 2006
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Location: Saskatoon

Getting Hives Posted: 09-05-06 13:50pm


Hi. I'm 19 years old and have now had a sudden outbreak to hives whenever I am in the sunlight for more than a few minutes. Even standing by a window or being in a car causes them, as does any type of florousent lighting. I have not gone to a doctor simply because i'm to scared and my parents do not think there is any such thing as being allergic to sunlight. What I was wondering is when they are testing you to see exactly what is wrong, what do they do and does this hurt. I know I should go anyway just because living with this is got to be worse then finding out what is wrong. Most of the time when I get hives they look more like a really bad sunburn and it hurts like one as well. It's also really itchy. If i'm out in the sun for long periods of time I find that it makes me sick. Any suggestions?

mcbcookie

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Joined: 01 Dec 2006
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Posted: 12-01-06 16:08pm


Joined: 01 dec 2006 posts: 1 post solar urticaria - skin allergy posted: 12-01-06 4:07pm hi everyone, i was also diagnosed with solar urticaria and can relate to what everyone is going through. I have done extensive research on the topic and have worked and been involved in skin research at the university of michigan dermatology research center and have asked world renowned dermatologist and the answers have been the same: 1) they do not know where it comes from and 2) they do not know what can help. I was also prescribed allegra and it only diminishes the itching but not significantly. What I have used for the past 4 years that helps me with the itching/prevents me from itching is aloe vera (green gel like substance) available at any convenience store for 2-3 dollars. In addition, I have been using spf 50 applied 20 min before exposure and regularly thereafter (every hour). This is terribly bothersome and my lifestyle has changed, as everyone else. I have to wear long sleeves and dark colors when I go out and do not stay exposed for long periods otherwise I will feel dizzy and sick – not fun. I actually lived and was born in europe for 15 years and did not have this problem. When I moved to the states (midwest) is when this started to happen and I remember the day because I was outside biking and when I went home I felt 'heat' on my arms and could not stop from itching. My parents happen to both be doctors so I saw a dermatologist immediately and he started me with allegra but that has not done anything great. Thus far, we have to keep talking to one another and keep doing research. I am planning on finishing med school and focus on the research of this topic. … but on the bright side, and what the dermatologists that I have worked with have told me is that because we are so protective of our skin we will greatly decrease melanoma occurrences as well as other skin malignities and weathering (getting fine lines and sun spots) I guess for now, we have to be strong keep looking for new information and keep each other informed. Best, mcbcookie

jay r

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Joined: 11 Dec 2006
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Location: Sydney Australia

That Damn Uv!! Posted: 12-11-06 06:39am


Hi guys, i am a 25 year old male from sydney, australia. In november 2005, I had my first experience with what was quickly diagnosed as solar urticaria. The last year I have dedicated myself to researching this frustrating hurdle, and many times I have found myself reading your posts. It is true that this is a stubborn beast to try and tame, however after scanning through this site for the last 12 months, I have tried a few things that seem to have helped a little. I too have had zero success with conventional medicine. The amount of drugs I have tried has been amazing, and no doubt troublesome for my immune system, which seems to be the catalyst for su. The last 4 months, I have been seeing a chinese herbalsit (thanks cleo!!) - who also specialises in acupuncture. I believe that it is this practise which has made the difference in my health and well being. I cannot recommend doing this enough. We need to let our bodies handle themselves. Prescribed medicines are no good for us. After all, in a majority of cases, anti biotics are often riddled with side effects when induced with sunlight!!! Please try the natural alternatives, and persevere with it. This su devil, has no "quick fix", and we need to be patient and positive (trust me, I know it's difficult - i'm a 25 year old male who enjoys staying fit and being outdoors!!) but our body is precious and needs to use it's own complex way to heal itself. Although I am still far from being cured, I want to thank you guys for putting some posts up. I truly wish none of us were going through this, but lets stay in touch and together we may find the answer to this difficult puzzle. P.S. A little exposure in a solarium is a good way to de sensitise. I started with 2 minutes, and am now up to 10mins. It's always the same dose of uv and gives you a nice tan!!! Please be careful though - this mnay be dangerous at first take care and stay as healthy as possible

mena22

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Joined: 12 Mar 2007
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Location: alton, illinois

Posted: 03-12-07 18:32pm

that's crazy that the only part is your lips! i have su and it's my whole body that's affected when subjected to sunlight. the thing is that i used to take cipro for bladder infections, i was thinking maybe there was some sort of link after reading your comment! doesn't the label on cipro say to avoid long exposure to sunlight?

starzck82 wrote:

Hi

i will apologize in advance for this being so long.

In august of 2005 I was in the hospital for an ovarian cyst that ruptured. The bloodwork showed an infection so I was prescribed the antibiotic cipro. After about 6 or 7 days of this medicine my lips swelled up and became really red and sore. It felt like a really bad sunburn. I don't remember if I was outside before that happened or not. My lips were so dry I couldn't stand it. I tried everything, but nothing seemed to help. After a couple of weeks they became infected. I finally went to the doctor and got a topical antibiotic and the infection cleared up within days. This whole ordeal lasted about 6 weeks because the swelling and redness would appear and disappear on its own. Also there were tiny red blisters all over my lips. By about october my lips cleared up and I had no problems all winter.

This past june, it was around the 17th, I layed out in my yard for about 20 minutes. I got a shower and again my lips swelled up and got red and blistered and a rash around the right side of my mouth. I had a shirt over my face the whole time. I get cold sores from time to time thats why I used the shirt. It took about a week to clear up. Since then every time I went out in the hot sun my lips would swell up. I found that keeping an ice pack on my lips clears them up in a few hours.

Here's the kicker: I went on vacation to the beach for a week and didn't have a single moments trouble. But when I came back home they swelled up again. I think its an allergy to trees or pollen or something buy my allergy doc thinks is solar urticaria. I am currently waiting for the results from my allergy tests.

Any ideas????

My lips are the only part of my body that is affected

mena22

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Joined: 12 Mar 2007
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Location: alton, illinois

Posted: 03-12-07 18:32pm

starzck82 wrote:

Denise Hovey

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Location: Ashville, NY

Solar Utacaria In An Infant Posted: 03-26-07 16:02pm


Hi there. I'm a 35 year old mother of three and my youngest daughter showed these symptoms at 6 months old. Her first exposure to the sun. She is now 15 months and I want to cry as I read how you suffer knowing that my daughter has felt the same and has no words. My hopes are fading fast of telling myself that she will outgrow this. She swells and scratches within minutes of being in the sun and the swelling lasts for 2-3 days. She takes Zyrtec and I give her Benedryl for the itching. I don't think I understood the degree of her discomfort. Has anyone else experienced this from infancy? May God bless you all Denise from Ashville, NY

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Lost Posted: 04-11-07 16:54pm


I am fifteen years old and I broke out in hives at school before my school let out for spring break. And the reason I broke out was because i put on some lotion a girl gave me. And ever since then, about three weeks ago, I break out in hives anytime I wear shorts or play outside. What you have been describing seem like a more severe form of what is going on with me. It has been helpful to read some things. And for anyone who is wondering what made them start think about not only what you have been taking, but what you are coming into contact with, because i have read that certain chemicals can cause you to have this reaction. I don't really know what to think, because I am not sure if I even have SU. I haven't been able to go to the doctor. Our insurance is awful and it costs like 200 dollars per visit(I personally think that is ridiculous, but what do I know?).

abridgel

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Joined: 21 May 2007
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Posted: 05-21-07 15:12pm


I've created a facebook group to talk about this it is called Solar Urticaria - just search for it

debborden

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Joined: 30 May 2007
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Location: Dover DE

Posted: 05-30-07 20:29pm


I was diagnosed with SU when I was about 22, but I began noticing symptoms after a very bad burn when I was 18. We were in the Bahamas and got stuck out on a boat unprepared. Each summer after that the symptoms got worse. I am now 35 and have 3 children. It has gotten so bad now that my skin swells with the hives and the swelling remains for a day or so, but the hives thankfully still disappear in a few hours. I am wondering if anyone has tried photo therapy. My doctor has suggested it, because with three kids you just can't stay out of the sun. I'm also wondering if this increases your risk of getting skin cancer. I had a biopsy done once during a reaction several years back and it came back consistent with a sunburn. Lastly, I'm concerned about my kids. Does this run in anyone's family?

RNEL48

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Joined: 30 May 2007
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Location: Texas

Su Posted: 06-06-07 13:20pm


I'm new to this forum, but have also done a lot of online research for this condition. I also have heat contact urticaria, which was first and now have solar urticaria also. I have been to an allergist and dermatologist. Both didn't really have a clue and gave me antihistamines, which didn't work. Although, my sniffly nose cleared up. I basically paid these doctors for me to tell them what I had. I am going to go back to my dermatologist though and see if we can do something to try and figure this thing out. I noticed that I first had trouble when I started perimenopause. I got into a hot bath and came out red and itchy!! At first I thought it was the salt in the water softener, but after experimenting, realized that wasn't it. I could go on and on about my experiences, but to make a long story short, I believe it has something to do with hormone changes. I've read where some people get it when they're pregnant, or on birth control, menopause, etc. Has anyone looked into this. Even males have hormone changes, imbalances, etc. I'd love to hear what anyone else thinks of this. Or, what your ideas of the cause might be. rnel

beebs

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Joined: 03 Jul 2007
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Location: UK

Solar Urticaria Posted: 07-03-07 08:54am


I'm 17 - i've always eaten healthily and looked after my body, although i've always been susceptible to burning easily. On the 24th of February this year i was perfectly well - on the 25th of February i had some sort of allergic reaction, where my arm went lumpy, red, itchy and then swelled. Three days later i had another outbreak - the worst attack where my arms, neck, chest, back and feet turned red and swelled etc - plus i started shaking slightly. It then went to an attack a day, then 2 attacks and so on. At this point i realised that every attack had begun after a certain part of my body had been in the sun. I carried out my own 'experiment' - going for a walk one sunny morning - with my legs, arm and neck uncovered - within 10 minutes i was having an attack. It eventually got to the point where i was reacting within 1 and a half minutes of being in the sunlight. At this time, i was just taking piriton after each attack started, to calm the effects. After 6 weeks - i went to the Doctor's and was prescribed 10mg Cetrizine - this worked, for all of two weeks - and i then became immune to it. At the last meeting, the doctor prescribed me two sets of tablets - h1 antihistamine; 120mg Telfast and h2 antihistamine; 300mg Ranitidine. At one point these stopped working and i was having attacks again - but for now they seem to be stopping the attacks from happening, but the su is most likely still there. The doctor wants me to take these tablets every day until the end of September - then i will stop the medication and we shall see whether i still have attacks and go from there. I've been thinking of setting up a website - solely related to solar urticaria; as info on this seems to thin on the ground - would there be demand? Best regards to everyone, lets bear with this and persevere through the summer, Habib.

callmeb012

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Joined: 18 Jul 2007
Posts: 3
Location: Wisconsin

Posted: 07-18-07 14:32pm


I'm 22.. I've been suffering from a couple different forms of Solar urticaria. I haven't been officially told what form I have, PMLE, Sun Urticaria, or Solar urticaria. I've had it since as early as I can remember, and according to my mother, I have had it since I was 4 or 5. I used to not be able to go outside for more than 15 minutes at a time before I'd break out in the hives, red itchy skin, swollen skin, etc. Now 17-18 years later, the red-itchy, swollen skin, hives, occasional nausea, irritability, headaches, etc. Only now instead of the 15 minutes or so, I am able to be outside for an hour to two hours, depending how bad the sun is, the heat, what i'm doing, etc. The itchiness, redness, hives, get worse if i scratch the surfaces that are exposed. I've been on different medications, sun block, clothes, etc., and truthfully nothing has helped. Fortunately, I do not allow this to stop me from doing what I love. I love going out for walks, jogs, playing soccer, football, baseball, basketball, and just so much more. Unfortunately, depending on how bad everythig is, I usually end up losing out on a week of my life, if not longer. 2 summers ago, I had gone with my brother and a couple friends and played in an outdoor basketball tournament for 2 days. The sun was HOT. I brought a sweatshirt to cover up in, and it still didn't help. After the second day of basketball and a 4 hour road trip home (dodging the sun as much as possilbe as it shown in through the windows) I went and played a game of soccer. However, the allergy was SO BAD that I played 15 minutes, and left. I was running short on breath, my skin BURNED horribly, the hives were starting, I was sick to my stomach, etc. The next 2 weeks, my hands, neck, etc., burned and no matter what I did, the swelling and burning never left. 3 days after I left the soccer game, my hands broke out in this spotty rash and my skin hardened and parts of the skin fell off. Whats the moral of that story? No matter how horrible I knew the outcome was, or would be, I wouldn't let it ruin my fun. Neither should you. I'm still looking for something to help with any of this, but haven't found anything yet. I've been to 4 or 5 doctors and skin specialists, and the best advice I have recieved was, "Don't spend your time outside." If I listened to that advice, I wouldn't have won a soccer championship playing and one coaching younger kids. And to me, no matter how horrible my week would have been at a time, seeing the success of younger people is so much more important than anything else.

flurodayze

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Joined: 24 Jul 2007
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Location: 3018

Posted: 07-24-07 11:25am


i got it when i was 22.. just finished working on a harvest of olives for olive oil... 3 weeks later after leaving.. SUNLIGHT=RED... and medical answer itch... i am now 24 and feel like i am i vampire... just one medical answer day i'd love to not come up red and itch and feel pain.. every treatment done.. still nothing. uva uba.. ... try going on a cruise with your mates swimming on a fiji beach, thinking yeah i'll be ok this time.. and in front of 1500 people on that same cruise seeing you red raw and sick.... how the hell does this work out..?? and i get the full load... anything exposed... 5 mins later... up comes everything, swolen redness...(hives over every exposed part to the sun)... if there is anything possible... plz anyone.. or anyone with an email.. mine is (msn messenger) give me some comfort, this cowboy hat and long sleeve shirt is lookin weird..(im from australia aswell) plz msg me... i would love to chat with other people like me

callmeb012

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Joined: 18 Jul 2007
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Location: Wisconsin

Re: Solar Utacaria In An Infant
Posted: 07-24-07 19:42pm

Denise Hovey wrote:

Hi there.
I'm a 35 year old mother of three and my youngest daughter showed these symptoms at 6 months old. Her first exposure to the sun. She is now 15 months and I want to cry as I read how you suffer knowing that my daughter has felt the same and has no words. My hopes are fading fast of telling myself that she will outgrow this. She swells and scratches within minutes of being in the sun and the swelling lasts for 2-3 days. She takes Zyrtec and I give her Benedryl for the itching. I don't think I understood the degree of her discomfort. Has anyone else experienced this from infancy?
May God bless you all Denise from Ashville, NY

I've had this since I was about 2 (my post earlier said 4, but I was mistaken) and all I can tell you Denise, is your child is going to be in pain. It is going to be hard for you to see this and watching her growing up, it is going to be hard for your daughter to deal with it. Air conditioned rooms, cool (not cold) baths, benedryl and ibuprofen have been helping me..

The swelling that lasts for the 2-3 days is still really sensitive and will still have a burning sensation.. It is going to be hard for your daughter not to, but try to encourage her NOT to scratch her arms or hands and try to keep her from doing it her hands back and forth or shaking them. The scratching and shaking make her hands feel good for a little while, but soon after everything burns and itches even more..

I know it is going to be hard for you to keep your daughter from doing any of this, but as she grows up just keep encouraging her to not do these things and to try spending as much time outside hanging out with her friends as much as she can handle. It is going to be hard for her to understand at first how long she can handle, but once she gets used to this, she will start being able to stay out more and more as time goes on..

Her friends won't understand how or why she can't stay outside, and that is going to really be hard on your daughter. Hopefully she will outgrow (if its possible) this.. Just keep supporting her and start watching for her signs of how much time is too much time being in the sun. Hope this helps a bit. If you have any other questions or suggestions, you can e-mail at:

or you can try sending me a private message on here and I will try to help out however I can.. but like I said, I hope this helps you!
-Billy

flurodayze

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Joined: 24 Jul 2007
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Posted: 07-25-07 07:41am


strange.. i am 2 mins in the sun.. all symptoms come up... relax for and hour or two inside and out of the sun.. it all kinda fades away..

callmeb012

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Joined: 18 Jul 2007
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Location: Wisconsin

Posted: 07-25-07 07:45am

flurodayze wrote:

strange.. i am 2 mins in the sun.. all symptoms come up... relax for and hour or two inside and out of the sun.. it all kinda fades away..

how long have you had it? thats what used to happen to me when i was younger..

flurodayze

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Joined: 24 Jul 2007
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Posted: 07-25-07 07:47am


about two years now.. got it when i was 22.. im now 24 [mod note] please do not post off site contact information [/mod note]

azureday

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Do I Have Uticaria? Posted: 01-12-08 00:43am


A couple of months ago, I started itching all over after I took a hot bath. Ever since...I cannot stop itching when I get hot, sweaty, or out in the sun. I don't get much of a rash (just tiny dots on my arms and back. They are barely noticeable but, I itch like crazy! Does anyone know if I have solar Uticaria? It happens when I get anything hot on my skin whether it be steam, water, or sun (also when I start to sweat). What exactly is solar Uticaria? I went to the dermatoligist and, she prescribed me clariton...it doesn't seem to work. I have tried benadryl and clariton. Neither work very well. What should I be taking and will I ever be able to go out in the sun again? How do you know if it's going to go away or get worse. I used to go tanning...I guess I will not be able to do that anymore. It really sucks.

andersen

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Solar Urticaria Posted: 03-26-08 08:09am


Hi all I was checking online to see if any miracle news on this topic had occured, and I found this forum. I too have Solar urticaria, and have had it for about 4 years now. I was 36 years old at the time, and I am convinced I got it from a reaction to a birth control product. I react to uva light in 13 sec. and to uvb in 2,5 minutes... I went through some tests for about 2 years ago, where I was exposed to different lights. I so feel with you all!! My daily routine, is to cover all visible skin with a sunblock lotion spf 50+, and my miracle find is a mineral powder from l'oreal with an additional spf 15... This also cover the somewhat "goth" look the white sunlotion creates! I take anti-histamines 360mg ( the product is called "telfast") daily which does prevent the hives. The redness also only occurs where the skin is visible, where as without the medicine, my whole body would react, especially where the clothes is sitting tight on the skin; brah straps ect... I have learned over this time, that dark clothes protect better that light colored ones, that loose fitting clothes protect better than fitted. I got a light jacket of sun protecting fabric, which really has helped me while driving! In the car, I wear gloves all year, and a hat with a brim to protect the neck. A loose scarf around the head and neck is also very good protection, and less of a hassle while driving. Sunglasses of a high uva protection is a must for me. Of all the things I have tryed to ease this...I have held strict diets, avoid all tropical fruits...the one thing that I find to actually make a big difference, is to never dehydrate! Drink lots of water! For some reason this works for me. Another thing I have found is the high risk for the lack of vitamine d. If you experience muscle pains, "sleeping" feet, arms ect..., hurting joints and a general lack of energy... you too may want to have your vitamine D level measured. Its been interesting to find all these posts here, and I will be checking in my self to find good advices again! Bye for now