My love/hate relationship with the sun

Those of you who know me know that I have a UV intolerance. This means that once the sun's rays get to a certain strength my forearms and hands come out in tiny red raised spots. If I overdo it outside - and we're not talking more than 5 minutes at the height of summer - then they itch like anything! The dermatology department has diagnosed Polymorphic Light Eruption or PLE/PMLE. Last year the rash started in mid-March and lasted till mid-October, even with all that cloudy wet weather we had.

For the past 5 weeks I have been going to the local hospital for desensitisation treatment. This means I get to spend 30 - 45 seconds in a medically controlled sun-bed that emits UVB frequency lightwaves. Today was my last session and I can't say that I'll miss it. Certain bits of my body that are never normally exposed to daylight have reacted quite well, no itch fortunately, but plenty of spots. Yet the arms and hands that are normally the problem haven't reacted at all. Here's hoping that this means that they have been desensitised and I'll be able to hang my own washing out on the line this summer. I'm fortunate that both D and K are willing and able to do this for me when I'm suffering. A is at work and excused.

To add insult to all of this I also have Dysplastic Naevus Syndrome. This is where I have several moles that are 1cm+ in diameter. The syndrome increases my chances of getting malignant melanoma, and of all the skin cancers out there this is the least nice.

I also have issues with lots of skincare products, particularly when they come into contact with my face - and if they're on my hands they're going to get on my face. My face goes red, hot, itchy, sore, and my eyes start to run. For this reason the only thing I use on my face is tap water - no make-up, no cleanser, no moisturiser, no soap, no suncream. I've tried all the sensitive/hypoallergenic stuff but it still upsets me. Fingers crossed the hospital doesn't move my appointments for patch-testing again. They've already moved from February to April to June. Any later and that'll be another year of lurking indoors.

I'm supposed to bath myself in suncream before I go out to try and stop the PLE and a rogue mole. It's just not practical to slap it on my hands before hanging out any washing as it gets all over the washing. So I don't bother with it at all. Instead I try to wear long-sleeved/long-legged garments and a big hat. It's not a lot of fun when the temperatures rise.

I live near the sea, I have a beautiful garden to sit in, sunny days give me a lift, yet I am more or less housebound in summer. I have to plan my forays out with military precision. Friends are very good. They make sure there is a seat in the shade if we all go out together. It's not always enough as I often feel wiped out the next day as well as spotty.

I'm not asking to be able to sunbathe for hours at a time. I'd just like to be able to function normally.