I have very itchy raised bumps on my forearms ,and my forearms feel on fire. I am thinking this is some form of sun sensitivity either due to RA or the drugs I take. Methotrexate and Benepali. I always slap on sunscreen when playing golf but am not so careful when out and about or gardening.I shall now go for long sleeves but just wonder if anyone else has experienced the same and what have you found best to relieve the symptoms?
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Pythagorus
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Yep. Unfortunately these reactions hang around. Antihistamine can help old fashioned calamine lotion to help with the itching. I wear sunscreen everyday it’s part of my ritual now and I have to use sun sensitive cream as I still get the rash with normal sunscreen as I sweat underneath it. Like you I tend to wear long sleeves sun hat and sunglasses. I tend to find shade too. Gone are the days I could just sun worship
I think it can be caused by both, but mainly the drugs. I avoid sun, as also my eyes are now sensitive as well as skin.
With any of the anti-tnf biologics, including Benepali, there is a small risk of skin cancer (it’s written in the leaflet you get with the drug). My rheumy told me very, very clearly that I should always wear high factor sun block and cover up.
The pharmacist told me that thick sun cream can block the pores and aggravate prickly heat . A high factor lotion rather than cream might help and a cooling spray. Hopefully it will settle soon.
I had “urticaria solaris” with Sulpha for many years and tended to be sun sensitive so have always worn a high factor. I was told to try cope with it as Sulpha worked so well but even sitting by a window in indirect sunlight made the red itchy swellings. Sunsense was recommended to me by a dermatologist but I found it too heavy and hard to apply.
I have used Garnier clear protect factor 50 which is a spritzer spray and easy to use. Even has good hand grips on the bottle now! I wear the same brand sensitive skin F50 cream lotion for my face. Also my regular face serum is F30. I dot any freckles/moles with total block/lip screen. Long sleeves and a wide floppy brimmed hat too. (It’s like being back in the 1970’s!) Cover up and dodge strong sun is better. I can get red and itchy even through clothing. There are some excellent UV long sleeves jackets and trousers from Rohan. I’ve looked at those as have some of their other ranges. Decent casual clothing.
I have a very impressive photo (somewhere) of the back of my hands with a fine outburst of raised watery bumps, which I think were prickly heat, but looked nothing like the picture here (nhs.uk/conditions/heat-rash... although beneath the picture it does say "some spots can be filled with fluid" - as indeed mine were. It was on holiday in the Balearic Islands, and it was well warm. Luckily there was a herbalist/homeopathist with our party, and she prescribed me something and within 24 hours I was cured and had no further issues. I greatly regret that to this day, I have absolutely no idea what I was prescribed. Silly me. I remember her mentioning that my problem was fluid retention, but no more than that.
I developed sun sensitivity even before I started MTX and Benepali and have used Fexofenadine 180mg (antihistamine) and also use Ultrasun sunscreen for sun sensitive skin. It doesn’t contain oils so doesn’t block the pores. And I live in Saudi Arabia for part of the year so we have a lot of (very hot) sun 🥴
I am currently having itchy forearms - more like on top of my elbows. RA dr told me MTX can cause sun sensitivity. I use triamcinolone cream (steroid cream - prescribed by dermatologist) and take antihistamine. Hope the itch and bumps go away soon.
Methotrexate can cause sun sensitivity and itching I mostly sit in the shade and take antihistamines prescribed by GP. Upper arms and chest area seem the worst so factor 50 for me when out and about x
Hi yes I also now suffer with sun and noise sensitivity never had before. If I go out I’m wearing a hat and a kimono or something light to cover my arms and factor 50
I get heat rash too but am fair skinned anyway. The advice is high factor protection so I use Clinique City Block which is good and facter 50 as well. It does get itchy but any good body lotion is cooling and of course good old Calamine helps. x I've never been a sun worshipper and go on the hols with fake tan. Sadly no hot this year but next year its something to look forward too. My husband a golfer likes Avon's Skin So Soft as cooling and keeps the mosquito's away. lol
this was my fist issue/symptom that came before my body spirled out of control. It was unbearable, months later and many issues later i finally got into a rheumy, hydrocl, mtx,pred.. nothing helped this particular issue, i was referred to also see an immunologist who began fexofenadine 180 mg (allegra) LIFE SAVOR for the skin issues. Sun sensativity and chronic ucarthia(hives)... i went from everyday dealing with this to maybe once a month.. try it, cant hurt
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