Pho·​to·​der·​ma·​ti·​tis

Photodermatitis is often referred to as sun poisoning or photoallergy and diagnosed in many cases as Eczema. The best way for me to describe it is by comparing it to a sunburn times 3 -- once the skin is exposed to the sunlight for a long period of time, it becomes irritated and itchy, then tiny blisters or bumps appear. The itch escalates, so I start scratching (this can become uncontrollable) until the skin breaks and eventually bleeds. The blisters dry out slowly by themselves or with the help of prescribed creams. Oftentimes, while it’s healing, my skin becomes itchy again, so I scratch and break the scabs, which impedes the healing process. Once the scabs heal completely, they leave dark brown scars. Sometimes there aren't blisters or bumps on the outside, but a type of internal bruising (red color) that itch uncontrollably until it hurts. My immediate solution when this happens is to apply cold compresses or to apply ice cubes directly on the skin. Photodermatitis can be genetic -- you can be born with it (as in the case of my older brother), it can start early in life (as in my case), or it can appear once you are an adult (as in the case of my older sister).