UV Hives

In 2nd grade I started to ride the bus and I had to walk a half a mile to get home cause i live out in the country. Well, one day when i got home i had bumps or hives all over my arms. We went to an allergie specialist about 3 years ago and he called
it U.V. Hives. He also said there was no cure, I can either take shots for 5 years 3 times a week, or I can take Allegra the rest of my life.

I've been taking Allegra and it doesn't seem to help a lot. My family is the type that goes to the lake a lot and every time I go, its like my fun is drained. When I get in the sun my arms and whatever is in the sun hives, we put triple antibiotic on the hives and they go down, but even when i'm in the shade,
they come back up. I HATE it not being able ot have fun on my vacations. I hive up and itch really bad, by the time we get over em, the vacations 0ver.

I would really appreciate it if you could help me. I've searched the whole internet for a cure but i haven't found any website that has heard of U.V. hives. If  you can help i will give a life thanks, if you can't I give you thanks for listening.
                Yours,
                    Jane

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Jane:

What you're describing is called solar urticaria, or "hives from the sun."  It's hard to treat/prevent, because when you're allergic to something (like cats, pollen), the best treatment is avoidance.  Avoiding long waves of UV light (UVA) is tough, because sunblocks only take care of the short, burning UVB rays.

Suggestions:

Use a UVA sunscreen, like Shade UVA (there are many brands.)
Try other antihistamines: Claritin, Zyrtec, even OTC ones like chlortrimeton or Benadryl.  See if any of them work better for you.
Wear light but tight;y-woven clothes over as much of your body as makes sense.
Consider visiting a major medical center which treats people like you by exposing them to incresing intensities of UV light, which can "harden" the skin against further reactions.  I have no experince myself with this treatment, but if you're that unhappy, you might want to make the effort to look into it.

Good luck.

Dr. Rockoff