Welcome to my first Beauty Tip from the Amazon! Let's start with a question.
Yuck! Is there fungus among us? Not yet, thank God! This is no strange jungle malady; it's . . . good old fashioned SUNBURN! With a new twist. Here's the recipe:
The result is photodermatitis, or phytophotodermititis, what some people refer to as a sun allergy. Doxycycline (which people often take for acne) already heightens the skin's sensitivity to sunlight, which is why I wear sunscreen almost all the time, even when it's cloudy.
What I hadn't banked on was the lemon. Normally, I don't really get carried away with my citrus, but a few weeks ago Isaac and I experimented with putting papaya in his solar dehydrator. The first time we did papaya, it tasted awesome but ended up smelling like rotting death (which is what overripe papaya smells AND tastes like), so we decided to cover the papaya in lemon juice (which smells awesome).
When I called the Peace Corps Medical Office in Ecuador, the doctor said, "Oh, yeah. That happens sometimes. Have you been eating a lot of citrus lately?"
Apparently there's a chemical in citrus that sensitizes the skin to the sun. The same chemical is apparently contained in celery and parsley. I say "apparently" again, because the info on the web fails me this time--it's a bit confusing, contradicting, and sparse. What I did learn was to not mess with the lemon!
Funny thing, the papaya burned in the dehydrator, and we couldn't figure out why...
So next time you're planning that beach vacation (or to walk two blocks while it's OVERCAST!) remember your sunblock, your awesome hat with the giant brim that makes all of the Ecuadorians think you're crazy, and remember to drink a lot of water. And remember not to dump lemon juice all over yourself, just in case. Golly, this could have been my FACE!!!
(I started photoshopping a picture of my face looking all sunburned, but it creeped me out and I didn't finish it...)
Fun and safety to you all this summer!
..kirstie..
The answer is this:What do these things have in common?The SunLa Blanquita (The White Chick)LemonsDoxycycline
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| My mutant hand. Photo by Kirstie Bickford. |
Yuck! Is there fungus among us? Not yet, thank God! This is no strange jungle malady; it's . . . good old fashioned SUNBURN! With a new twist. Here's the recipe:
Take one pasty white girl of Scandinavian descent.
Add a daily dose of doxycycline, 100mg (to prevent malaria).
Pour over that a hearty helping of lemon juice.
Bake in the Ecuadorian sun for a couple of minutes.
The result is photodermatitis, or phytophotodermititis, what some people refer to as a sun allergy. Doxycycline (which people often take for acne) already heightens the skin's sensitivity to sunlight, which is why I wear sunscreen almost all the time, even when it's cloudy.
What I hadn't banked on was the lemon. Normally, I don't really get carried away with my citrus, but a few weeks ago Isaac and I experimented with putting papaya in his solar dehydrator. The first time we did papaya, it tasted awesome but ended up smelling like rotting death (which is what overripe papaya smells AND tastes like), so we decided to cover the papaya in lemon juice (which smells awesome).
When I called the Peace Corps Medical Office in Ecuador, the doctor said, "Oh, yeah. That happens sometimes. Have you been eating a lot of citrus lately?"
Apparently there's a chemical in citrus that sensitizes the skin to the sun. The same chemical is apparently contained in celery and parsley. I say "apparently" again, because the info on the web fails me this time--it's a bit confusing, contradicting, and sparse. What I did learn was to not mess with the lemon!
Funny thing, the papaya burned in the dehydrator, and we couldn't figure out why...
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| Toasted papaya does not taste good. :( Photo by Kirstie Bickford. |
(I started photoshopping a picture of my face looking all sunburned, but it creeped me out and I didn't finish it...)
Fun and safety to you all this summer!
..kirstie..
I had something similar happen with my Elavil and the sunlight. I look like I had a minor case of plague. Which I almost just spelled as plaque...
ReplyDeleteOh no! That stinks!
ReplyDeleteSometimes plaque is a kind of plague, right? XD
Fun fact - overcast skies are actually frequently worse than clear when it comes to sunburn. Clouds do block a lot of UV but they also bounce it around so much that there is no escape...
ReplyDeleteHuh, that's interesting, Kyle--I learned something new! Cloudy skies can also be more dangerous because you're not expecting sunburn and don't protect yourself from it.
ReplyDeleteKirstie,
ReplyDeleteSo the Doxy gives me a rash on my neck and chest. And when I get sun it gets worse. And I can get sunburned in 5 minutes. We went to Playas this weekend and now my arms are really tan with white spots. I want to try the other malaria med.
And I'll try to stay away from citrus.
Rich