Wear protective clothes. You can wear a wide-brimmed hat and clothes that reflect or absorb sunlight before it reaches your skin. Lighter, silky fabrics can still let the light through, so look for tighter weaves, longer sleeves and long pants.
Wear tightly woven clothing that covers your skin, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses to protect you from head to toe. Choose light bulbs that have the lowest possible irradiance (intensity). Cover fluorescent and halogen bulbs with light shields or glass that filters out UV rays.
Anyone who is out in the sun for more than 20 minutes daily should apply sunscreen, but people who have lupus should be especially vigilant. Sunscreen should have a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30.
Many people with lupus are photosensitive, meaning that their symptoms get worse as a result of sun exposure. About one-third of lupus patients have this problem; some end up with a butterfly-shaped rash across their nose and cheeks, or find that a rash they have gets worse.
In fact, six to 10 people with lupus are sensitive to the sun's rays, says rheumatologist Howard Smith, MD. But you can still spend time outside. “With some solid preparation, good choices and patience, it's possible to enjoy your vacation with lupus as well as anyone else,” he says.
Environments that may trigger lupus symptoms include those with: extreme heat. extreme cold. high wind.
Lupus and light sensitivity
The most common symptom is a painful skin rash or lesions on areas such as the face, neck, hands, and feet. A person with lupus and photosensitivity may also experience symptoms such as fatigue, a fever, joint pain, or flu-like symptoms, after exposure to UV light.
Previous research has shown significant seasonal variation in lupus disease activity, such as renal flares being more common in the winter months and increased arthritis symptoms occurring in the spring and summer months; but this is the first study that looked at the link between organ-specific lupus flares and ...
Purple is the color we wear to promote lupus awareness. You can make your own t-shirt or wear a purple hat, or paint your toenails purple, you get the idea!
With age, symptom activity with lupus often declines, but symptoms you already have may grow more severe. The accumulation of damage over years may result in the need for joint replacements or other treatments.
Higher outdoor temperatures increase your body heat, which can bring on a lupus flare. Staying hydrated with cool, but not cold, beverages brings your body heat down again.
Weight changes — Lupus can sometimes cause weight loss or weight gain. Weight loss may be unintentional and due to decreased appetite or problems with the digestive system (see 'Digestive system' below).
It depends. Lupus flare-ups caused by photosensitivity may occur minutes after exposure to UV light, or they may take several hours or even days to develop. Some symptoms caused by photosensitivity get better quickly. Others take days to weeks to improve.
The effects lupus may have in and around the eyes include: changes in the skin around the eyelids, dry eyes, inflammation of the white outer layer of the eyeball, blood vessel changes in the retina, and damage to nerves controlling eye movement and affecting vision.
Weight change can be a problem when you're living with lupus. The disease itself, along with many of the medicines used to treat it, can cause your weight to rise or fall beyond your control. You may have taken steroids at some point in your life with lupus—or you may be taking them now.
People with lupus are more likely to experience infection and infection-related complications. This is because their immune system is weakened by both the disease and the medication used to treat it. The most common infections for people with lupus include those of the respiratory tract, skin and urinary system.
Lupus and Summer Weather
Sun and heat exposure can cause symptoms to flare up because when UVA or UVB rays hit the skin, inflammation in the cells naturally occurs and often sets off a chain reaction of other symptoms.
Research has established links but not whether those factors cause lupus symptoms to worsen. The best places to live may be those with moderate temperature fluctuations and low levels of wind, humidity, and air pollution.
Some people with lupus have Raynaud's phenomenon. It affects the small vessels that supply blood to the skin and the soft tissues under the skin of the fingers and toes. It causes them to turn white and/or blue or red. The skin affected will feel numb, tingly, and cold to the touch.