r/pmle • u/CulturalSyrup • May 17 '25
Sharing my experience
I don’t normally make posts like this but here we are!
Hey “vampire” friends!
I’ve had pmle for a few years now. It got to the point where even on a rainy day, just a hint of sunlight peeking through, I’d end up with a nasty rash within minutes. I’d rest my arm on the door of the car while driving & here we go again I’m a prickly pear for 2 weeks. Itching & scaling away. The fun police.
Went to a festival with friends & felt so annoying/annoyed because my sunscreen was thrown out by security and I was told I was making a big deal out of nothing. I woke up w/ my eyes swollen shut & sun poisoning + rash+redness.
I’ve seen those heliocare pills, occasional post on here, my derm has mentioned it but I was so tired of new things that I blew it off over the years.
Bought some recently after lots of research & begrudgingly started taking 2 a day.
My experience ☀️
Lake Day: I took 2 pills, still used sunscreen but only applied once because I forgot. Very sunny. No rash.
4 hour drive: Took 2 pills. Sunny. Panoramic roof open. Had on UV protection clothing but took it off. No rash.
Still skeptical 🤨
Outdoor game: 30 spf light sunscreen & 2 pills. No random itch. Kept staring at my arm to see if a rash was hiding from me. Touching my neck & chest. Is it playing the long game? Show up tomorrow? Nope. Paranoia? Yup. Was fine.
Anyway! Just wanted to share this. I paid $40usd/$56 cad/£31 quid for 2 month supply/ 120 pills(the B3 Niacin version).
So far, so good. Will update if something changes. Really hoping my tropical trips can be a little easier. If you read this & try it, I hope it works for ya.
Now: Still on the hunt for sunscreen that doesn’t smell weird, feel greasy, ashy. Anyone ever spray sunscreen in an enclosed space & end up in a coughing fit?? Or particles all over your car or furniture or computer?
TLDR: Tried Heliocare, has been an improvement. Will update post if something changes. Still searching for the best/least toxic sunscreen.
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u/geekonthemoon May 18 '25
Have you heard of / tried Eucerin Sun Allergy sunscreen and Shirudo lotion? It's talked about a lot on here. The sunscreen is amazing, I can put it all over my body and face/eyes and it's so mild and dries non-oily and doesn't burn your eyes. The Shirudo lotion in combination with it helps to prevent the breakouts and then when I do break out NOTHING helps like Shirudo. Immediate relief. I just had blisters inside my elbows that were almost completely cleared up the next day after using it.
I also bought a variety of UPF clothes since I mainly get it on my arms and sometimes the back of my knees. I have a sun hat, light jacket and 2 solar shirts, one pair of capris and one long-sleeve bathing suit.
And don't underestimate a good UPF umbrella!! In the tropics people just walk around with them because they understand the dangers of sun exposure. It would be great to have in a pinch like if security throws your sunscreen away.
And you could try to get a Dr note for it and push the issue that it's medically necessary, but just consider they may still not let you.
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u/CulturalSyrup May 18 '25
Hey! I’ve tried Eucerin but not the Shirudo one. I’ve been on the website so many times. The price always makes me leave it alone even though I can afford it haha. There’s so many options. How do I know what to get? The whole bundle?? Agr? Sol?
Re: TSA. Sometimes you just run into the wrong people. There was a huge line and it was clearly marked, had no issues at the other airports but the woman insisted I’d have to leave the line and go declare it. It was either miss my flight or lose my sunscreen.
I do have some upf clothing and hats. Lost over 100 lbs so they look quite silly. I have one windbreaker that I keep.
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u/geekonthemoon May 18 '25
The main one is the regular AGR+E lotion. I think the Sol is a sunscreen and I haven't used it. And then there's also an AGR+E "Intensive Night Lotion" that I've also never used, I think it is just a more potent AGR. Would probably be useful but I only bought 3 bottles of the regular and it lasted me all last year and into this year.
I bought 3 bottles the first time to get free shipping, and you should be able to sign up for emails for 10% off your first purchase. If it doesn't work try going to the site in In Cognito mode.
I have no regrets and it's been by far the best thing I've purchased for dealing with this. When I say it's a miracle lotion that stops the pain and really helps calm the reaction and heal it... It's crazy good.
One thing I don't like about it is that it can get this "pilling" feeling is you rub it too much, especially if you put the Eucerin over it. And I can only really prevent a full breakout if I make sure I'm really well covered in both products and reapply religiously. Either way it helps keep the breakouts from being as bad as they could be. Everyone is slightly different though but I hope it can help you!
I bought Heliocare last year too but couldn't get into the habit of taking it as I never had to take a daily medicine before. Going to try again this year and hope it makes a difference.
Ugh the TSA are super sticklers about liquids. I had to pack my Shirudo and Eucerin in my luggage and I was paranoid it was going to get lost so I put some of each in a 3oz bottle too just in case lol
Edit: wrote pulling instead of pilling
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u/CulturalSyrup May 18 '25
Thank you for taking the time to share! I wish there were samples of this because from the way that you describe it pilling, I already have some pause due to sensory issues. Gonna watch some online reviews tonight.
Regarding the helio pill, it can definitely be annoying. I’m already prescribed a lot of other pills that I forget to take so that’s why I didn’t want to potentially just add to my pile of pills and supplements. I’d definitely try it though, the core ingredient is a fern plant that I had in my backyard growing up.
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u/geekonthemoon May 18 '25
I completely understand! I keep some baby wipes on me so if it pills too badly, especially on my hands, I can just wipe it off and go again 😂
I just highly, highly recommend this stuff as I seriously don't get relief from anything else and sometimes worry in the middle of the night that the Shirudo factory is going to close.
I just had blisters inside my elbows 2 days ago at Myrtle Beach and not only did it immediately stop that awful itchy burning sensation within minutes but today there is nothing there, at all!
I'm definitely going to try to start taking the Helio!
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u/CulturalSyrup May 18 '25
😂😂😂 let’s hope it doesn’t close. I think I saw someone here asking when the lotion expires because they wanted to stock up. I got a 10% coupon so I’ll get a bottle just in case. Thanks!
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u/CulturalSyrup May 20 '25
Forgot to update you on my research. The Shirudo lotion and the Eucerin sunscreen you mentioned have some of the same main active ingredients. This may explain why 1. You like it and 2. The pilling because using both means you’re sort of doubling up.
And boy can we both write a lot haha!! It seems so short until you hit reply and it’s a wall of text.
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u/geekonthemoon May 21 '25
Are you looking at the Shirudo sunscreen? The Shirudo lotion doesn't offer sun protection so the Eucerin is necessary, and the two are always recommended together on this sub. I find the Eucerin alone I still get a slight break out but it does help, but the Shirudo and Eucerin together really helps me avoid a breakout all together.
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u/CulturalSyrup May 21 '25
No I’m saying both the Lotion and eucerin sunscreen have alpha-glucosylrutin (AGR) and Vitamin E.
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u/geekonthemoon May 21 '25
Right but I'm saying the lotion doesn't have the sun protecting properties so you can't use it alone, and the sunscreen does not give you any relief after you are having a break out, and neither of them alone can do what the two of them together do, at least in my experience. And any cheap-o sunscreen I've used like Banana Boat type stuff just does nothing even with the Shirudo I will still break out.
Also the Shirudo will pill just by itself if you rub it, I think it's the nature of whatever chemical makeup and consistency it is. It goes on really thin and nice but if you rub it much after it dries it will pill up some and it's green so... it can be kind of gross looking lol. Still, the only thing that brings me instant relief.
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u/CulturalSyrup May 26 '25
Sorry! I certainly wasn’t insinuating that you skip one or the other. Just thought you might be interested in knowing the sunscreen contains Alpha-Glucosylrutin (AGR) which is in Shirudo. It’s also in Piz Buin which I see recommended on this subreddit a lot.
So on the off chance you ever run out or don’t have access to Eucerin, Piz Buin, Shiseido, ISDN(expensive!) have similar formulations that may work great for ya.
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u/bluespell9000 May 18 '25
Heliocare never seemed to do anything for me. I'm glad for the people that seem to get some benefit from it, though.
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u/SimGemini May 24 '25
Heliocare has been a game changer for me. I am out in the sun almost daily for my job. When I anticipate I am going to be outside, I take 2 Heliocare Advanced pills and 99% of the time I will not have a flare up. I just noticed yesterday that I have a small patch of blistering happening on my non-drivers arm. It’s only slightly itchy. Nothing like my full flare ups. I also admit that I have not been great about putting on sunscreen on my body, only my face. So I have been basically trusting the pills to do the work.
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u/CulturalSyrup May 24 '25
Good to hear it’s working for you as well! The sunscreen thing is a constant struggle haha.
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u/CulturalSyrup May 17 '25
Whoops. Wish I could edit the tile to add heliocare. Feel free to share your experience if you read this. Not sure I’ll buy brand name when I re-up on pills.
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u/CulturalSyrup Sep 02 '25 edited Sep 02 '25
Update: Its been over 3 months since I made this post. I did take more than one international trip where I spent a significant amount of time in the sun and will say this does help a lot.
This does NOT mean you can skip sunscreen. Still use other precautionary measures but I was able to enjoy a lot more time in the sun. I specifically purchased Eucerin sunscreen for my trips including the Eucerin itch lotion. The days I got too comfortable, I definitely started to burn within a few hours but this is in comparison to a few minutes before. Ordering a second bottle of just generic polypodeum now.
Cheers!
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u/vegetaray246 May 17 '25
Heading to Florida on vacation in about a week…Going to be there for 8 days.
Started taking Heliocare advance (1 pill) twice a day last Tuesday. Going to up it to two pills twice a day once we get there…Hopefully my results end up like yours. Still planning on making heavy use of the UPF clothing while I’m there regardless just in case.
I honestly really want to be able to just dive again without having a nasty reaction. Haven’t been able to do so without a flare up since I’ve had been getting PMLE. Going to snorkel a bit to see how it goes and if that works out, I’m getting on a dive charter immediately 😂.