so I just had to ask, how many of you avoid/have avoided the sun altogether during prime "sun" hours (usually 10-4 or 9-3 think it really depends on where you live)?
Happy to say that I ventured out today into the very bright, sunlit day at 12:30ish, and knowing I had used a strong sunblock as always (and was wearing a hat and sunglasses, also as always), was virtually unafraid to do so, although I did make good use of my visor in the car, and kept switching it from side view to front view depending, in order to block the strongest exposure. It felt so freeing to be able to drive in the daylight again, in BRIGHT sunshine!!! (I am currently looking for a full time job, so I would HAVE to be out in daylight hours, prime sunlight, etc,. should I be lucky enough to get a job full time again)...
Happy to report that I lived, I am still pale (as I have been for months, lol!), but no worse for the wear, really and some of the whiter spots seem to have gotten some color, dare I say??...I have to work on stopping being fearful of the sun, as some is good, none is not, but too much as we know is never good. But lack of total sunlight these past months has affected my mental and emotional state and not positively, it's made me MORE depressed, and not less. So today it felt good to have SOME sun exposure and not be too afraid (I pretty much threw up my hands like "screw it, I have to do this, as I have to pick up my daughter, have some errands to do, etc.", and I did although that "fear" of having white spots develop or become more prominent was there the whole time. I know this sounds likely kind of lame, but to me it is a HUGE accomplishment/development...I have totally and completely avoided the sun during prime hours for the past two or three months straight...
How many of you are fearful of sunlight in prime hours and is there a way to get over it/manage it so it does NOT affect your entire lifestyle?
Replies
I had an appointment with my dermatologist yesterday. Unfortunatly the areas that had repigmented are starting to fade. She told me as of now, we've exhausted all avaliable treatments to repigment, and to pretty much accept it, (which I had a while ago), and use makeup to cover up for special occasions if I want.
As for the sun, I work at a youth training center (kind of a summer camp) in July and August, and required to spend time in outside during peak sun hours. I have discussed this with my doctor and she has regularly told me that its fine, as long as I use sunblock with a high spf (preferably spf 70) or higher. (I live in an area that don't get a whole lot of sun, and I spend summers in areas that do), and try to reduse the amount of direct sunlight as much as possible. Which I do, always looking for a shaded area as, and really stress the imporatance of wearing sunblock to the kids. The biggest thing is keeping the contrast down, and not burining in the areas of no pigmentation. Working like this I have to be more focused on the issues the kids have and less on me. I was never a real high maintance person, wearing make-up or worried about getting out to get the latest fasion.
I've also learned that stress is a possible contributing factor to the spreading of vitiligo. Once I realized that I was stressing more about when I can go outside, and watching the clock to caculate my time in the sun or what other people may think when they seen the spots, than just going out and enjoying life that the stress level went down significantly. I'm to the point now where I will go out, enjoy the time out, while taking necessary percautions. I still make sure I have sunblock on, and try to stay in shaded areas but I don't stress out if I have to run out for 5-10 mins and omg I forgot to put the sunblock on at least a half hour before.
these are all valid points...being North American Indian( we call ourselves First Nations here in Canada) i tan pretty easily in the spring and summer when it's sunny so the difference in skin contrast is very obvious...my vit doesn't show so much in the late fall and winter but it is obvious in the summer. I've had friends i've met in the winter months ask me what happened to my skin(in the summer months) because the contrast was hardly visible until the summer months...but it is very hard to avoid the sun..and even if i could i think i still would get some just for a sense of well being and to take in some vitamin D the old fashioned way. Nicole makes a good point that stressing about our vit in itself can add to depigmentation and depression about the whole thing. I've had vit for just over 30 yrs and at times it still is difficult but mainly i try not to think about it much...sometimes i completely forget about it and i realize later i had an excellent day like as if i didn't even have vit. It sure is nice to discuss how each of us copes with our common challenge...it's even nicer know we have one another to lean on for support...i find all ur comments valid and informative...there really are many paths to take on this one and all have their merrits...so have a great weekend and i look forward to chatting with you all again...peace out : )
I'm glad you got to enjoy the sunshine. We don't get much sunshine here in Michigan this time of year, but I started to realize last summer that I couldn't live my life afraid of the sun. Like you, I need sunlight or I get depressed. Yay for sunshine!
Amanda, thanks, that is true, the lack of sunlight/sunshine affects my mood severely and not in a good way. I know it is not healthy to completely avoid the sun (not to mention impossible in day to day life), so I refuse to be afraid of it anymore. No, I am not sunbathing or seeking direct sunlight, lol, but I will no longer be afraid of having any. I live in New England and we get a lot of sunny days even in the winter.
Enjoy the SUN coz it is good for us ... sun exposure stimulate the melaocytes that is why most treatments adviced to add sun or UVb..there is even a klima therapy at Deadsea, that is where all the UV treatments comes from beside most vities has luck of vitamin D.
The problem with sun is the contrst of skin ...we see more hiden spots after sun exposure.
Remember to avoid mid day sun ..don`t burn!
Bamsegutt
Hi Tina...it rains 300 days a year where i live so bright sunny days aren't much of an issue...but when it is a nice sunny day with a strong sunblock(+60 SPF) i stay in direct sunlight up to an hr before i start to feel the burn...i'm not too concerned about getting skin cancer because studies have shown melanoma rates for us vitties are well below the norm compared to the general population...of course getting wrinkles is another story lol : )
Hi Douglas, I have also heard that about vits (with the sun melanoma rate being lower than average)....it's not the melanoma I am really concerned about truth be told as I also use a high spf usually spf 45 and it's a SUNBLOCK not sunSCREEN, but the PROMINENCE of the whiter patches that are there are more obvious with any sun exposure (and I have tested this theory many many times, and have found it's true)....could be because I tan up really easily (or used to, evenly at least lol!)....hey where do you live, maybe I should move there? Could prevent a lot of stress, :)
thanks Tina i really wasn't aware that there was actually a difference between sunscreen and sunblock : )
Hi Douglas, I think this was only my own assumption, that sunscreen "screens" out the majority of damaging rays but that sunblock completely blocks them altogether (although I have not found this to be true in my own case, as the whiter areas get whiter with any sun whether using sunscreen or sunblock). :) So much for my arm chair "self-assessing", I could be totally off-base about this. Seeing my derm today I will ask her.