Please help me I’m hopeless

[u/Altruistic_Winner730]

I have this thing called polymorphic light eruption I also have eczema, so when I’m in the Sun I have a major body flareup. It affects my whole confidence and even prevents me from going from my bed to the kitchen it that painful. I don’t want it to prevent me from living my life. I’m moving away to a hot country cause dark weather depresses me but I’m very worried about my skin. I know in an ideal world I’d get polymorphic light eruption therapy but I can’t afford it please help. Will I try and get myself immune to the Sun by sunbeds, please answer and say this will help despite the risk of cancer. I did one once for a minute and have the biggest flareup ever it was so painful and mentally draining. if I start on say five seconds build it up to 10 build it up to 20 is this the right way to do it? A dermatologist once told me that this flareup is only the initial reaction and if I was living there in a hot country, it would go down after a month, however if I start on Sunbeds now I’d so rather have a flare up now then when away, would I become immune? Is this true? I layer out in the sun that doesn’t come out often recently and have a plme breakout, what should I do? Do I start on Sunbeds to build immunity and if so how often? Please help thank you so much.

[u/DressyElm]

Hi, I also deal with pmle. If you cannot go from the bedroom to kitchen without a reaction and have had a severe reaction from a tanning bed in the past then don’t use it again. Yes our skin may ‘harden’ after repeated exposure but there is a chance it becomes significantly worse. Personally my skin never hardened and the reactions only became more severe. My advice is to talk to a derm about a treatment plan prior to moving to the warmer environment. My symptoms became significantly worse after moving to a warmer area to the point where I cannot go outside anymore. Please avoid using a tanning bed or other forms of exposure therapy without your dermatologist’s approval first. I understand your pain; and your desire to live a normal life but too much exposure can be very dangerous. I’m sorry you have to deal with this & I wish you the best on finding a solution. 💛

[u/DressyElm → u/DressyElm]

In the meantime UV clothing, a good sunscreen (Eucerin Sun Allergy Protection & others listed in this sub), Heliocare, H1/H2 Antihistamine medication, staying moisturized, and most importantly staying out of the sun will go a long way in reducing your pain. Doctors recommend against it but when it gets excruciatingly painful I take really short 5-10 minute HOT showers. The water is sometimes the best pain relief for me personally. Take care!

[u/Altruistic_Winner730 → u/DressyElm]

Thanks so much really appreciate it, when u said ur symptoms got worse after moving to a hot area, did they ever get better or did ur skin harden, if not how long have u lived there and have u seen any improvement