Re: Sun Damage & cea.

[Guest guest]

Hey

I dont know if we have done a sun damage survey but........... count me in on

the sun damage I had gotten sun poison at least 5 times since i was 10 years

old ,vacations with family, and even on purpose laying out in the sun with

baby oil !!!! oh the 80's how could we not know )-:

KAREN

[Guest guest]

Angie--

I just had to pipe in here, because my own rosacea

(don't you just hate calling somthing like this your

own?!) first appeared after a particularly bad sunburn

when I was 16. I'd had a history of not protecting my

skin well in the sun, though, prior to that initial

episode, so I'm sure that my skin was thus primed for

a condition like rosacea. Unfortunately, because I was

a teen-ager, I was told it was just some acne and I'd

" grow out of it. " That's it--no warnings about sun

overexposure (in fact, I was told sun exposure was

GOOD for my alleged acne). So I didn't really change

my sun protection practices much. My skin did clear

after about a year and it didn't seem to be much of a

problem until I moved out here to California. The sun

seems to be much stronger out here, and my rosacea

kicked in again full-force. I still figured it was

adult acne, though I didn't really get pimples, just

lots of bumps and discomfort. Eventually, I noticed

that flare-ups coincided with sun exposure, but by

this time, by skin was so compromised that I couldn't

wear sunscreens comfortably. I went to my doctor

because I was convinced that I had some sort of

sun-induced allergy--that was the only other thing I

could think of. Didn't really know about rosacea then.

So while there are certainly many factors that may be

at the root of any one person's rosacea, sun exposure

must be in there for most people. It was very much

directly related to mine. And for someone with fair

skin and freckles, I should've known better! I'm

hoping now that I can at least arrest--if not

reverse--the years of photodamage I've allowed to

happen, and not just on my face.

By the way: I just read about a study that was

examining the effect of free-radical fighters such as

beta carotene and Vitamin E in decreasing sun-induced

erythema (sunburn) in fair-skinned patients. The

results appear promising. I'll post more on the

article later--don't have it in front of me at the

moment.

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Hi Angie! That is EXACTLY the way my rosacea seemed to start! And although

I was a prime candidate in terms of complexion and ancestry, I wasn't in

terms of age - I was only 20. When I was 19 I started sun tanning for the

first time in my life, because it was kind of expected of you if you wanted

to be one of the " cool " people. Otherwise you were a pale geek! I got a lot

of bad burns, largely because I thought that was what you had to do to

really tan. Then in my 2nd year of solar abuse I noticed something didn't

look quite right with my complexion. My eye area seemed to not be tanning.

And then after one final sun burn, my face stayed definitely red and

unevenly colored forever. Other members of my family have very mild traces

of the typical rosacea pattern, and they also have had a history of sun

exposure. Since then after learning a bit about the damage that UV light

can do to the skin's collagen, I wondered - couldn't it also damage blood

vessels? After all, the blood vessels themselves are partially composed of

collagen.

At 02:05 PM 7/28/00 -0600, you wrote:

>Dear Everyone,

> I must be in a writing mood, today. .... Actually, it is one thing

>that I love to do.....and being in the privacy of my home....(although I

>loved writing before).....I have no-one staring at my face! I use to

>work for a Dairy Queen for about four years in Washington State....and

>my boss was so unintelligent & damn rude about the redness of my face --

>which came from the heat filtering from the kitchen.

> It took me about five miles to drive to work & I had the a/c going full

>blast....but that coolness & paleness of my face - once I had walked in

>the door - only lasted a very, very short time! Then, I was ridiculed

>by such a useless man! He use to smoke about 30 cigarettes per day. He

>claimed to of been to Europe with the Armed Forces - but I doubted that

>- or else he would of had some slight knowledge of cea back

>then......so many people have it now - that it is actually so common to

>see - that the majority of people take this for granted & donot know

>that they even have it.

>

> Something that came to light this morning, or was jarred by cea

>sufferer, Rory, jogged my memory of something that I had meant to

>mention.....regarding the " onset " of " my " cea.......

>

> I read an article, recently published by Dr. J. Leffell, a

>dermatologist, professor of dermatology & plastic surgery, and

>researcher at Yale University in New Haven, Conn. He said and I quote,

> " In fact, some say exposure to the sun may be at the root of this skin

>disorder. We think this is a sun-related disorder because we almost

> " never " see it in patients " without " skin-damage to their skin " .

>Hyperion will publish his new book: Total Skin, " in spring 2000.

>

>How is that:- for being, finally, on the right track(for

>some)......plus, I note, that he is a reseatcher at Yale - making him

>much more up-to-date?? This is " exactly " how my own cea

>began.....and continued!

>I feel & think that some dermatologists need to go back to school for

>this mysterious complaint.....because so many times I have been handed

>the standard line...... " that is is your heritage & age.....You were a

>prime candidate.! " I still know plenty of people in the U.K. with my

>colouring (but without the continual sun burn) that " do not " have

>cea.

>

> Enough said, I rest my case.....Good Luck to All. Angie.

>

>

>

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[Guest guest]

Oh yeah. I have been tanning religiously since; well, ever. My mom was

always sunbathing, so I as well, even as a very young child was amazed at how

my skin would get darker and darker and darker. I have used accelerators and

that oh-so-popular iodine and baby oil for several years. My skin tans very

easily and I was always the darkest of all my friends. Used to enjoy that

first good sunburn, as this would help me tan better throughout the year!

How crazy. Yes, I am a suntan abuser. Ironic that my best friend who

absolutely hated the sun because her skin was so fair still has that

beautiful fair skin and my darkened and weathered skin bares the red marks

that will live forever as a " suntan legacy "

[Guest guest]

I too have to pipe up here, just to throw some conflict into the

situation. I developed rosacea at about 22/23. I live in northern

Australia where the sun is really really strong. I have always

protected my skin from the sun. Never sunbaked and only ever went

into the sun with sunscreen, make-up and a hat. I can only remember

once having a sun-burn - on my back but definately never on my face.

In Australia we are really sun conscious because of the incidence of

cancer here - the highest rate of skin cancer in the world!!!

So I guess for me my rosacea isn't sun related. My skin definately

isn't sun damaged. In face on areas not affected by roascea it is

really beautiful skin!! I also am fair but have italian ancestory so

have a olvish tint to my skin.

Once again, rosacea is proving to be so individual.

Cheers

Tracey

[Guest guest]

I am now haunted by the memory of being at a beach house in Delaware

when I was about 16. I was just back from a day with my friend at the

beach and we were all burnt and happy and thinking about the

lifeguards we'd met. In the living room sat my mom's very pale friend

(who I didn't like anyway) who liked to dish out advice and told me

in no uncertain terms that I was ruining my great skin...and now here

I am!

As depressing as it is, it's funny too. This crotchety woman was, of

course, right, as they too often are.

Anyway, this would be another Yes response on the sun damage survey.

[Guest guest]

I hate going in the sun and never had had a sunburn in my life. My

skin is thick and olive toned. I have rosacea and probably have had

it since I was a teenager, so I don't think that sun damage enters

into the picture for me. It may be true for others, but I think my

rosacea started out due to other factors for me. Other possible

causes of rosacea, including overexposure to UV light, are laid out

in one of Dr. Nase's messages in the archives.

Matija

[Guest guest]

Well the alarm bells are certainly clanging in my head - and to think

I was blaming the chickenpox for starting my rosacea off.

I spent my first 24 years on the beaches in Australia. Hours upon

hours in the surf as a competitive surf swimmer. Although I was very

aware of sun damage leading to skin cancer, etc, I resisted suncream

as much as possible as a teen because I thought it was uncool (what a

moron I was!!). Too late, I started slathering it on at around 19 but

now at age 31 it is very clear that the damage is going to be severe.

I now live in the Australian Snowy Mountains and my poor face is SO

sensitive to sunlight at altitude. I'm just thankful that the rosacea

has only decided to plague my face and eyes and not my entire body.

Though sometimes I think that nothing could be worse than the pain in

my eyes.

e

[Guest guest]

Yes I too have skin damage! I grew up in S.F. We lived on those beaches. I

know S.F. is famous for its fog but you can get burned just as easily with

the salt water and filtered sun.

I too used the iodine and baby oil. We didnt have sunscreens in those days

either. I also got sun stroke when I was a teen ager.

I tanned beautifully all over except my face. It always burned and peeled. I

sure wish I had known better then.

Bobbye

[Guest guest]

me too, i look at my mother who is a sun worshiper and her skin, though she does

not have rosacea, its like

leather. i now never leave the house without a hat. the best thing we all

can do is keep taking to each other

sharing ideas adn encourgagement. i look forward to the emails every morning.

> Oh yeah. I have been tanning religiously since; well, ever. My mom was

> always sunbathing, so I as well, even as a very young child was amazed at how

> my skin would get darker and darker and darker. I have used accelerators and

> that oh-so-popular iodine and baby oil for several years. My skin tans very

> easily and I was always the darkest of all my friends. Used to enjoy that

> first good sunburn, as this would help me tan better throughout the year!

> How crazy. Yes, I am a suntan abuser. Ironic that my best friend who

> absolutely hated the sun because her skin was so fair still has that

> beautiful fair skin and my darkened and weathered skin bares the red marks

> that will live forever as a " suntan legacy "

>

>

> -----------------------------------------------------------------

> Please read the list highlights thoroughly before posting to the whole group.

See http://rosacea.ii.net/toc.html

>

> When replying, please delete all text at the end of your email that isn't

necessary for your message.

>

> To leave the list send an email to rosacea-support-unsubscribeegroups