Help Please! Photosensitivity Burns

[Slinkycats]

I have a question for anyone who has any suggestions. I recently have been getting photosensitivity burns because of the meds I am on basically making me allergic to the sun. It feels like pins and needles on the skin especially outdoors. Now I am very very fair and I can go very dark like I used to when I was a kid but I hate it now. I want to stay as light as I can. Problem is I also have a few sores on my nose and face as well. I know the best thing is to be covered up all the time and wear a hat but this is really hard for me to do since I have a constant migraine (wearing hats hurt my head), and I am working on getting a pashmina or something for days when its extremely hot and humid which it has been and I wear sunblock but it doesn't work very well for me right now.

So any tips for how I can soothe my burn other than aloe vera aftersun lotion which helps a lot, and also what kind of foundation to use if I put anything at all on my skin now that I am darker? Do I just get a darker foundation?

Help Please! Thank you in advance for any help!

 

[magosienne]

Keep using sunscreen, of course. Check outdoors/sports shops, they sell lightweight, breathable clothes with an spf protection in them, like Regatta, Columbia. They can be expensive, but they work really well.

Drink, and get a small roll on tube for migraines, with ingredients such as peppermint, lavender, chamomile essential oils. I have one i made with these three essential oils, and it helps relieve some of the pain.

For the foundation, you can get a darker foundation, you have to look even so if you're darker only on your face but your neck for example is paler, i would still use the same foundation as before.

For the sunburn, i too use aloe vera for the soothing part (i have to store it in the fridge so it's really cold !). I also use creams that are made for burns, but not especially sunburns, i live in France so i'm not sure they're available where you live, but i still mention them : Biafine, and Flammazine. La Roche Posay has an aftersun product called Posthelios, my family and friends swear by it, i don't find it particularly better than these creams.

 

[Slinkycats]

I actually got the La Roche Posay Athelios sunscreen and I got a free gift of their after sun lotion and some face cream and a shower gel. Been using it as well. I got a slightly darker foundation just the Vichy Mineral powder. Never tried it before and not sure what I think of it. Both my face neck, chest and arms are much darker than the rest of me. Oh and the tops of my feet are also darker. The burn is much better but I have been hiding indoors for the most part. I also bought a few inexpensive pashmina scarf/shawls that I can drape over my arms for now. Its been very hot and humid and pretty awful actually. 

Thanks for the reply I really appreciate it!

 

[MewMewPurrKitty]

Try getting an Aveeno oatmeal bath. They sell them at Walgreens. Lay down in a shallow bath of it and scoop up the clumps and rub it on your face. Let is sit on you for about 5 minutes then rinse. I used this method with sun poisoning and the day after I did the treatment it was much better! /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[Slinkycats]

Thanks I may try that if the burns come back badly, for now though I seem to be alright. I've used aveno in the past tho I didn't have much luck with it. Thanks for the help /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[zadidoll]

If you can use certain products due to skin sensitivity maybe look into using parasols to help protect your skin.

 

[Slinkycats]

Thanks for that! I have started using La Roche-Posay for my skin specifically and monitoring to see if that helps and makes a difference. Its still too early to tell if it is making a difference or not yet. Thanks again!

 

[Tyleete]

Have you tried the bath?  I just got back from my docs yesterday, and she explained why if you enjoy hot water, it can make things even worse.  I tried an oatmeal bath, and came away in more pain and itching terribly. 
I can't tell you how to fix it other than good old Benadryl, which isn't really a fix, just like a temporary 'patch'.  But I can tell you, that if you're having problems with the sun (or even light in general), tight woven clothing for when you go out helps so much. 
I also have a friend who says spf clothing helps her a lot, but most of that's really light just with this coating.  Mine's so bad that even lights hurt my skin now, so it's just my rayon cloak constantly or wrapped head to foot in thick materials.
Good luck!

 

[Slinkycats]

@Tyleet I'm so sorry to hear how bad you have it and how you have to deal with that. I know it must be horrible because that sounds 100% x worse than I have.

I have a hard time with any light source especially with certain types of lighting and especially the sun. The skin issue is much newer and I have been doing alright though I do tend to stay indoors for the most part and I am in the actual sunlight very little. I haven't used the spy clothing yet as I am on  a tight budget and I don't think they are too much better than my other clothes. I have been trying to wear long sleeved tops and my hat and my jeans except in the extreme heat and humidity this summer where I actually used some scarves as wraps to block out the sun. I guess its a learning process. I've been very careful though so hopefully my skin won't be badly damaged from the initial burns I had in the spring and summer.

I would take actual baths if I had a bathtub. I only have a shower stall and I don't typically take hot showers. In general I cool them down gradually till its pretty chilly water. I love that feeling, almost like jumping into a pool of water in the hot summer! Nothing beats it! I love to re-fresh everyday. I also use less hot water that way. When I do have a chance to have a bath I only use the shower gel I always use now for bubbles and that's the LaRoche-Posay Physiologic Shower Gel.

I hope that you are able to manage your symptoms and reactions it sounds so much worse than what I have been experiencing. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />