question

[denisef714]

I have been on tx for 5 weeks 180mg pegasit weekly and 800 mg riba daily. I went on a cruise to Mexico and I came back sunburnt in areas that never burn on me. I am so red it hurts. Is this servere burn due to meds?

[denisef714]

I have certainally learned my lesson on the sun. Sunscreen for me this summer. Aloe is helping. And YES the cruise was awesome and the xray machine people did not question my shot ( I actually did the 5th injection on the ship)

[portann]

Oops, photosensitivity is one of the possible side effects of the meds:

"Photosensitivity may occur; therefore, caution patients to take protective measures (eg, use sunscreens, wear protective clothing) against exposure to ultraviolet light or sunlight until tolerance is determined."

http://www.drugs.com/ppa/interferon-alfa-2b.html

http://www.drugs.com/ppa/interferon-alfa-2b.html#ixzz0rXxw3Tiu

I'm typically a no-burn, sun-loving person but didn't take a chance during treatment because of the advice I got here and because my skin felt yucky in the sun, kind of dry and itchy in a 'don't touch' kind of way. Now it's all back to not getting red anymore, even without sunscreen.

So maybe next time you're out, "slip on a shirt, slop on the sunscreen, slap on a hat, seek shade, and slide on your sunnies." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slip-Slop-Slap)

Sunblocks with stuff like zinc oxide work better than sunscreens. They block light, whereas sunscreen only 'screens' certain rays. You can buy formulations with both and some are waterproof.

Hope the cruise was great, lobster-look aside.

Susan

P.S.  In New Zealand (where Epi is from), the mascot for the "Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek, Slide" campaign is a lobster, which is how you may look right now. I found coconut oil very soothing for my skin during tx but it was super-messy on the sheets 'cause I used the straight cooking type. :(

[denisef714]

thanks for the advice

[can-do-man]

Sure is, the riba makes some people very sensitive to the sun. Hope you had a great time.

cando

[epiphiny]

Hi there, the meds can certainly make you much more sensitive to the sun. When I was on treatment I absolutely could not sit in the sun at all, even 5 minutes was too much for me. My hands would sting when I was driving my car and I had to wear long sleeves and long pants all through the hot NZ summer. Eventually I became afraid of the sun and to be honest have never really recovered from that although at least now (14 months post) I no longer have to avoid it completely. If you do decide you want to spend some time in the sun please ensure you wear at SPF 30, wear a hat and cover any exposed skin.

All the best!

Epi :)