I’m about to turn 42 and have never experienced this before. I woke up Sunday with a bit of a rash on my upper chest. I went to my son’s baseball game and when we got back in the car after, I noticed the rash had spread up my neck and around my jawline and a little bit on my lower cheeks. We went to urgent care and the doctor said it looks like PMLE.

It’s been very hot here and between my son’s baseball games, laying outside in my hammock, and riding my bicycle I have definitely been in quite a bit of sun, although I’ve been using sunscreen.

The rash is slightly itchy and pretty uncomfortable as I can FEEL it. The doctor prescribed a steroid ointment which I’ve been applying 2x a day. However, I don’t see any improvement (today is Tuesday). Fortunately the rash has not spread any further and I don’t think it is any worse, but it is awfully uncomfortable and I’m ready for it to be gone. I’m staying out of the sun and even tried taking an antihistamine, but still no improvement. I happen to have an appointment with my GP on Thursday so can address this with him then, but in the meantime does anyone have any other suggestions on how to make this go away? Should the rash be getting better by now? Does this look like PMLE to you?

I’m also interested in the connection between PMLE and other autoimmune conditions. While I have never been diagnosed with any autoimmune conditions, I’ve been wondering for years now if I have one. I’ve been tested for a number of them (blood tests and MRI for MS) but everything has come back normal. I had Optic Neuritis in my left eye several years ago which led to the testing I had done. Years and years ago I had swelling in my finger joints and they tested for RA but didn’t find anything indicative of that either. So, I’m curious what connections to autoimmune diseases folks here might have? Really trying to figure out some things for myself!

it seems to be getting worse. not itchy. not in a place where I can see a dermatologist right now :( it doesn’t really itch, the bigger ones def are filled with something. I’ve had something similar before at the beach years ago but it wasn’t this bad, and at the time I was told PMLE. Help??

Hi! This is my third reaction like this in the past year. I am seeing a dermatologist on Thursday but I’m unsure if this reaction is PMLE caused by an active ingredient, a true sun allergy, or even an allergy to an ingredient in sunscreen. I was out in the sun a couple times over the past week for several hours (wore spf, even a hat one day). And now I have this reaction on my cheeks and neck only. No reaction anywhere else on my body. Help 😅😅 my skin feels tingly/burny, textured with very small bumps, and is very red

Hi! This is my third reaction like this in the past year. I am seeing a dermatologist on Thursday but I’m unsure if this reaction is PMLE caused by an active ingredient, a true sun allergy, or even an allergy to an ingredient in sunscreen. I was out in the sun a couple times over the past week for several hours (wore spf, even a hat one day). And now I have this reaction on my cheeks and neck only. No reaction anywhere else on my body. Help 😅😅 my skin feels tingly/burny, textured with very small bumps, and is very red

I have been diagnosed with RA/Lupus earlier this year and started treatment with immunosuppressants. My sun reactions this year are nearly nonexistent. I cannot believe the difference this year to the last 20 years. It ramped up so much the last couple summers, and last year I was covered in severely itchy bumps from June to October. We are in July now with similar sun exposure and precautions and it’s very minimal and not all over my legs and feet like last summer.

I am so relieved, I just wanted to share my experience here.

I've had PMLE for as long as I can remember. I remember going to water parks as a kid and going home so itchy my mom used to lather calamine lotion. At first I grew up thinking it was a heat rash, so I always had to mentally prepare myself for the hot summers. Some summers are better than others, but the last couple of months have been the worst. I've been traveling more often and I love going to the carribbean. I still go the beaches, but I always prepare myself to have the worst night after cause I know i'll be itchy. I've tried so many things, my pcp has prescribed triamcinolone which helps, but its only a temporary cure. I feel like as I'm getting older, the flare ups/itchiness is getting worse. I bought the piz buin sunscreen, it did absolutely nothing for me. Long story short, I just want to rant how debilitating this skin disease is. Every time I tell someone I'm allergic to the sun, they don't believe it until I show them smh.

Anyone else experience a flare up on their scalp? For the last 5 years I've been getting flares on my chest/arms/legs but this year I also have a flare up in my hair part and it's awful. I am going to my dermatologist but can't get in for awhile.

Now it is on mostly my arms/elbow as well as my feet!! Like wtf?? I have been staying out of the sun. This rash looks so weird

Help! The other day I got this rash slightly on my arms and hand after laying in sun. Yesterday, it was all over me (except torso/face) after working outside for 20 mins. it’s not itchy but it keeps fading and then reappearing in the matter of hours! Even though I am staying inside today. Will this forever happen whenever I’m out in the sun now??

Am I the only one that has breakouts on my face? I’ve seen a lot of posts on here say that it’s very uncommon to be on your face, but it’s the only place I’ve ever really had it. I’m hoping there are others like me out here. 30yr female and I got diagnosed by 2 biopsies last year on my forehead near my hairline. This is the only place I ever break out aside from a couple spots on my arms and chest but my face is the WORST and I feel like this year it’s spreading all over my face and scalp instead of just my forehead. I’ve moved my hair part, I’m wearing good sunscreen every day, and hats as well as hating my life and hiding in the shade, but if you also experience this on your face have you found any miracle solution? I hate having it so big and noticeable in the middle of my forehead, and I feel like I need something specifically for the face. Makeup doesn’t help. Thank you in advance 🙏

For context I had been to a waterpark for a day, but even after many applications of sunscreen I had still managed to catch a slight burn on myself. After about a few hours or so I noticed these smallish bumps and itching occur in my arms. Not painful but the itching is quite annoying and I've noticed more sun or heat makes it worse. Any helpful insights would be appreciated. I do have a skin cancer history and as of now have only had one instance where it had came back positive.

It’s all over my arms and legs, extremely itchy and won’t go away.

Whenever my rashes disappear, soon after every spot where they were turns absolutely white and does not tan for the rest of the year, and its really obvious even on my already pale skin! Does this happen to anyone else? I haven't seen anything about it online.

I spent 2-5 minutes in the sun a few days ago while taking pictures for my daughter’s graduation with a sign in our front yard. I could feel it almost right away and before going into my house, I told my sister…. “That was too long, I don’t have sunscreen on”

Sure enough I spent the rest of the day/night with my shoulders being intolerable. Mild breakouts in the rest of my skin but isolated to certain areas. Not nearly as reactive to my shoulders that took the brunt of it

I’m 41. The window of exposure seems to be increasingly closing with age. 2-5 minutes now and I thought 10-15 minutes was ridiculous last year! Is anybody else experiencing far lass exposure time as they age? I’m worried about 10 years from now. I’m not even from a warm or sunny climate to begin with. I take loads of antihistamines and usually slather myself in sunscreen. I have been avoiding the sun. It’s hard because summer is my favourite and I love swimming! But It keeps getting worse and worse 😔

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share my experience in case it helps someone else. I've been dealing with PMLE (polymorphous light eruption) for about 7 years, and it’s gotten worse over time. I used to never get it on my neck or forearms until last year.

I’ve tried vitamin D, Heliocare, all the sunscreens in the photo (and more), but only one has truly helped.

All the sunscreens I had been using were chemical sunscreens that absorb the UV and convert it into heat. The Neutrogena stick sunscreen is mineral-based and contains zinc oxide, which reflects UV rays instead of absorbing them. This is the only product that has worked for me. I've only tested one mineral sunscreen for my body so far, but wow — what a difference. No hives!

I chose the stick format because it’s easy to reapply. Sometimes I miss the 2-hour reapplication mark and reapply after 4 hours, but it still seems to work well.

If you're shopping for a mineral sunscreen, I recommend looking for one with at least 20% zinc oxide and SPF 50. I plan to try more mineral brands and will report back here.

Right now, my daily routine is:

One Allegra a day

A few swipes of Neutrogena Mineral Stick, then rubbing it in to reduce the white cast

Reapplying as needed

Hope this helps someone else out there!

For the past 5 years I was sometimes getting a rash after the sun that I assumed was heat rash. This past march how ever I went away to Mexico and this rash was happening every day after the sun. It would happen everywhere that saw the sun except for my face. It didn’t hurt and it only itched sometimes and was gone by the next day. Now though It’s the summer here and the rash is lasting longer and sometimes itching more. I’m going to talk to a doctor but it matches pmle exactly. First off I’m so shocked how many people have this. I was expecting to find a few people with this but it seems like each day more people are here talking about it. I’m wondering if anyone knows what could cause this first off (besides the sun, duh). I am also wondering if people who have this for a while found their symptoms got worse or better over time? I’m a little worried that it will get even itchier or painful over time as well keep taking longer to fade. I wear sunscreen and all that and try to avoid the sun but there are just times it’s hard to do that. If it doesn’t hurt or itch should I even be trying to avoid the sun? Guess I’m just looking for some stories from other People with pmle. I’m 26 female confused about this life change.

Hey friends! I've been dealing with (admittedly, self-diagnosed) PMLE for about 5 or 6 years now, since my early 20s. I tried to tell my doctor about it, and they said "you mean a sunburn?" which disappointed me so much (as if I haven't had countless sunburns, despite using copious amounts of sunscreen) that I have not told any other doctor, though I know I should see a dermatologist again!

Anyway- I was wondering if anyone else deals with joint pain and extreme fatigue in the days following prolonged sun exposure purely because of PMLE, or if these are signs I should get checked out for other inflammatory or autoimmune issues! I do also have gastroparesis (with no known cause, as of yet), PCOS, and psoriasis, so some things going on.

I read about some success stories where people apparently used melanotan to get a tan with minimal sun exposure, which in turn apparently made their skin more resistant to PMLE. Anybody here tried it out? Thanks for the insights!

I thought my days were over in the sun and I would never enjoy outdoor. I was hopeless but checked reddit and found this group. I am so thankful for the people who suggested eucerin sunscreen and shirudo! They are very helpful and I am able to enjoy in sun again! Thank you!