Has any one else had a problem with the sun while on Preds
We had a few sunny days here just 16c 18c , but was warming in a secluded part of my garden, it was lovely to soak that up for just 1/2 at a time no more then 4 hours during the whole of last week, I am fair skinned but have caught a tan the last 5 years or so.
Well after last week I look like iv been on a months holiday ( I wish) but my face is still so red. Today while visiting a sick friend, the Infirmary nursed paid him a visit , looked at my face and said have you spoken to the rheumatologist about that, he may need to change your steroids …….I thought it may be due to the skin being more sensitive to the sun, but cant find any where that says keep out of the sun , I am now on 25mg of preds that give around 75% relief ,with flair up after any from of upset... The last thing I feel I need is the meds being changed around . any advice would be most appreciated
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mad-country-lover
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If I am in the sun too long, I develop a rash. I have also had many basal cell cancers on my face and other places on my body. My Dermatologist told me that prednisone makes you grow things and to stay out of the sun.
the only thing I have been told by my Rheumatologist here in France is to avoid all salt, other then that my knowledge comes from what I have read up on ( which I sometimes barley understand ) or I have obtained on this group.
I did have a look through older post's as I get quite a lot of information from them.. but never thought to include sunbathing as its February .
The post also contains other information I was not aware of, ie there are other types of Prednisone, The thought of my Rheumatologist changing my meds would have worried me .
My next Rheumatologist appointment is in a weeks time I will keep the sun off my face until then.
But I do love the sun and just sitting in it for a bit last week has made a difference
Pred makes you much more photosensitive. My normally easy tanning skin burned in 10 minutes. My skin hates sun creams so I did my 20 mins (Vit D) morning or late afternoon and in between covered up. I also found heat management quite difficult while on Pred. With a Pred face and the bright red colour from the heat, I looked permanently like a polished apple. Yes, you need to keep the salt very down with Pred but with lots of sweating in heat you need some. How much? I never got it right. I was permanently puffy with fluid retention whether I avoided it or not but it was obviously worse with salt. If I got too low, I was even more weak and floppy.
As the French think knocking back red wine is good but avoid all salt as much as you can, I eat all fresh produce , and have managed to get salt free cooking stock cubs etc.. I have not put on weight but Moon face is me, initially I was quite happy about this as some people would have spent a packet on ironing out the wrinkles, but now its bright red... and with my new serpentine walking I must look like iv hit the bottle for breakfast. How ever I have found the less salt I consume the more the fatigue has set in , I am either freezing cold or cooking there is no happy medium … I have never sweated but sorry to say do now , I think a guide line on how much salt we should take in would be a help here xx
I think the Moon face is the free gift that one keeps refusing but it comes anyway. I didn’t put on weight but all my resources still went to my cheeks.
I looked about to kick the bucket back in December, looking at my self was scary .. I now look 10 years younger as the ventriloquist lines have also lifted , note to self ……. don't shuffle past the mirror could take another 10 years awff
Hi, Ive been on pred for over four years, and have found that it seems to thin my skin - hence all the purple bruises on my arms. Consequently, I moved to a fifty factor sun cream, which has worked well for me on our annual holidays on Minorca.
I just feel you need to be extra cautious with the sun whilst on pred.
I agree with the thin skin and bruising, I have found some factor 50 I had for the grand kids so will now be applying that even though it February,,, we should be so lucky we need that sun so much x
Listening to radio yesterday - apparently we should all be wearing sun protection (and I mean all, not just those on Pred) even during the winter, especially on days like recently where there has been no cloud cover.
The damage from the sun is the same whatever time of year, it’s just the cloud that filters some of the rays.
I thought the same to, its so easy to put things down to a spot of old age but this is also something else I have... will up date you chaps after my next rheumatologist appointment, when hopefully I can persuade her to reduce the 100 mile an hour gabble to a rate I can understand x
It is said that pred can make you sensitive to the sun and so you burn more easily or may develop a rash - many doctors do tell patients to use high factor sunscreen when they hand over the prescription. Using reactolite lenses is also recommended to reduce the problem of cataracts developing.
And this is the answer mentioned above - but do look at the thread as someone else has written a really good reply about their experiences:
I live in Italy (in the north, up a mountain) - I almost never use sunscreen (I avoid going out in direct sun and always walk on the shady side of the street) and pred doesn't make me burn.
It's actually not so much that pred makes you burn - it is more that many people find that taking pred over a long time makes their skin drier and more delicate so it reacts more to all sorts of things. In fact, pred may be used for sunburn to reduce the inflammatory reaction! There is also a form of erythema (a rash) that some people get with pred: I developed it sort of in the neck area down to my t-shirt neckline and that may appear to be sunburn and it is made worse in the sun - using a high factor sunscreen may help. Mine was while I was taking Medrol, now I take a different form of prednisone it has gone and I have started tanning again, my skin and hair are back to normal.
Using a good emollient such as Diprobase or Doublebase and not using soap when showering will help prevent your skin drying out (you can get them on prescription in the UK and they are used for ecxema). But as Annodomini says - we should be protecting ourselves from burning because of the risk of melanoma. 10-15 mins a day around midday with no sunscreen is good for making the vit D we need - but never allow yourself to burn, not even go pink.
Tip - when searching online, never put "steroid" or you will get all the body-building adds. Use prednisolone or prednisone for the search. If you use "corticosteroid" google isn't clever enough to tell the difference!
I developed sensitivity to sunlight in the late sixties, when I mentioned it to my GP she laughed hysterically said no one was allergic to sunlight, it is something you have eaten. Spent much of my life coated in sun cream, long sleeves and hands in pockets. Since starting pred I no longer have this problem OK I’m still a freak. 🤪
Thanks for the link, non of the mentioned triggers ring any bells, one year cycling in hot sun no problem next year five minutes in sun major problem. GP so helpful too.....wish I’d been able to say polymorphic light eruption at her😂
If I sit in the sun I have found that if I have a bruise usually on my legs it develops a nasty blister. They are so bad I have to go to have them dressed by the local nurse.
Thanks for posting this. I just spent a week in Mexico and despite lotion and a hat got very badly burned. I never thought of the effects of pred. and sun.
Started on pred at 30mgs about a year ago and have now reduced to 9mgs. Went through last years hot summer with no problem but after sitting in the sun on Monday (here in sunny Northumberland!) for about an hour I developed a rash all over upper body.
went to doctor who decided it was an allergic reaction of some sort and prescribed 3 days of pred. at 30mgs/day to clear it up. I am on all sorts of other meds so one of them could be the problem ref sun sensitivity - guess I'll just have to keep covered up all summer.
I am a sun lover and tan quite easily without burning. About 5 years ago, on two separate vacations to Mexico over 2 winters, I developed what looked like heat rash (fairly large welts which turned into extremely itchy spots), and a nurse in our complex said it may be clogged pores as I had been using a thick oil-based shower wash and sunscreen, and she suggested hydrocortisone cream which did the trick.
Then in Dec/17 I developed PMR symptoms and was diagnosed May 1/18 and started on 20mgs. Stayed at 15mg most of the summer and enjoyed lots of time outside in our pool and had no negative effects despite my skin thinning and being dry.
Just got back from 10 days in Florida and laid out in the sun and swam in the pool daily and got a tan again, no burning (I’m on 9mg currently). I only used sunscreen on my face.
It was actually my blood pressure pills that had a warning on the bottle about sun sensitivity, but I only take a half pill each morning so maybe not enough to cause a problem?
I do tend to sweat more now that I’m on pred, especially around my neck and down my cleavage, after I take my dose at 2am. I tend to sweat more in those areas while out and about in the sun too, including my face. Could be the pred, or menopause I suppose.
Either way, no problems here with being in the sun (thank goodness) as I love the dose of vitamin D and the warmth seems to do me good whether it’s the sun or hot tub. I know I should be mindful of how long I’m in the sun.
Hope your face settles/tones down and your medication gets sorted out so that you too can enjoy the sun in your garden.
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