Things Aren’t So Sunny For This Mum As Exposure To Sunshine Causes Her Skin To Break Out In A Rash Suddenly

By Rebecca Drew

THIS SUN allergic mom-of-two was called an attention-seeking liar as a child despite sun rays causing her skin to erupt into a scaly rash after just five minutes of exposure to rays.

Tammy Pardy (29) from Ontario, Canada, was five-years-old when she first noticed that she would get a rash on her skin after being outside on a sunny day. Her sun allergy caused other children to make fun of her in primary school as they classed her a liar and attention seeker because no one believed that her allergy was real.

Pictures of Tammy’s arms, legs and face show how her skin can flare up after it has been exposed to sun. She keeps her allergy, which is known as Polymorphic Light Eruption under control by wearing sunscreen that is a minimum of SPF 50 and wears SPF 60 on a daily basis to prevent a reaction.

“I get a very itchy rash on the exposed skin when I forget to wear sunscreen that is at least SPF fifty, the one I wear is SPF sixty and it works very well,” she said.

“I had it as a child, then it went away in my teens and came back again into my late twenties.

“As a child, in elementary school, people made fun of me, saying things like; ‘you can’t be allergic to the sun, you would die when you go outside,’ ‘you are a liar,’ or ‘you are looking for attention’, or they would question me, ‘how can you go outside then?’ and other hurtful comments, mostly because no one believed that it is a real allergy.

“[When I found out I had this allergy] I was just happy that I knew what it was and how to prevent it.”

Polymorphic Light Eruption is a skin rash triggered by exposure to sunlight or artificial ultraviolet light. It causes an itchy rash or burning to appear on the skin within minutes after sun exposure.

The rashes, that can last for up to two weeks before they heal, usually appear on the head, neck, chest and arms with the face not always being affected.

For Tammy, regular use of sunscreen is the most effective way to control her allergy as she doesn’t like to cover her skin with clothes during the summer due to the heat. The allergy can be passed on hereditarily but luckily Tammy’s children, Hayden (9) and Amira (6) don’t have it.

“I could cover up, but I don’t like to be too warm, so I use a SPF sixty sunscreen. Any sun exposure in spring and summer could trigger my skin,” she added.

“I get angry at myself when I forget to wear sunscreen.

“Don’t forget your sunscreen. I really want people to know that this allergy exists.”

For more information see www.instagram.com/tammydalton89

ENDS