Sun rash that won't go away

[Deb 27]

So back in may, I had some sun exposure and got a funny rash on my upper arms. It really hasn't gone away much. It sometimes gets better. This weekend, I was out in the sun and I got a rash on my legs. They look like tiny little broken vessels and petechiae (sp?) I have an appt with a dermatologist friday a week. Does anybody else have this? Think it's the plaquenil? I've been on plaquenil a long time and I've never had this. 

[Sooki]

A rheumy might be able to tell from looking, but definitely from a little biopsy, be able to tell the cause.  When that happened to me, the choice was between polymorphous light eruption (helped by small doses of sunlight) and cutaneous lupus (helped by no sun exposure).  The initial rash on my arms lasted for a long time.  Initially, I thought it was an weird non-itchy poison oak, so I went to my primary care doctor who ordered the biopsy.  Now I wish it were poison oak!

My rheumy said he tell by looking that it wasn't plaquenil, or anything other than lupus. 

Now I stay out of the sun.  Long sleeves, long pants, hat, 100 spf sunscreen.  Under the shade of a big tree is pretty nice on a hot day.  I even have cotton gloves (foxglove gardening gloves)to wear when I'm in the sun for awhile.

It's a drag, but the sun causes an autoimmune reaction under the skin and then goes systemic.  I feel much worse after sun exposure.  My face also breaks out now on my cheeks and the bridge of my nose. 

I started taking cellcept as well as the plaquenil and it helped the sun exposure some, but mainly helped the symptoms that came from it.

Are you feeling your Sjs symptoms worsen after being in the sun?  I suggest seeing your rheumy about it and figuring out what the sun reaction is.

Good luck with it - I hope it's something else!!

[Liz D.]

Yes, I get this all the time when I go in the sun.  I try my best now to stay out of it.  I too have been on Plaquenil for years (11 years) but it has only caused this sun sensitivity the past four years.  But also anyone with autoimmune issues should not be in the sun anyway.  I'm anxious to hear what your dermatologist says.  I think possibly it could be the build up of Plaquenil over the years that causes it.

Keep us posted.

Liz D.