28 August 2023 , 13:17
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A woman has been compared to a vampire after suddenly developing a life-changing allergy to the sun.
With a treatment plan that works, Mallary who is now 37, no longer has to hide away inside as she had been since she was diagnosed at 31.
Solar Urticaria, Mallary’s debilitating condition, meant that spending any time outdoors would leave her suffering from extreme redness, burning, itching, and hives.
Mallary said that everyday tasks would be huge sources of anxiety for her, such as walking from her car to the office. She said that people are often floored when she tells them she is allergic to the sun.
She added: "Usually, there is a short pause of before they ask, 'What did you say?' or 'Is that really possible? Then they are interested to learn more and worry if it is okay for me to go outside, before I tell them that I now can.”
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The rare allergy is called Solar Urticaria (Caters News Agency)
Mallary's arm showing signs of her allergy (Caters News Agency)But with the help of specialist prescription medication and sunscreen, she can live a relatively normal life. Mallary, who lives in Houston, Texas, and has no other known allergies.
Mallary said: "Sometimes I get the joke of people saying, 'Mallary is a real-life vampire.' I also say the same thing to make light of the situation. I lived alone when the condition was at its worst. I was single and not married. This forced me to go outside to socialise, even though my symptoms were horrendous.
"We don't even get much of a winter here in Houston, so I continued to get flare-ups in December and even overcast days of rain. It affects me all over. Even to the edge of my fingertips and toes. It only affects the skin that has been exposed to the sun. I have exact outlines of my clothing.
"My symptoms include extreme redness, hives, intense itching and burning. They are very uncomfortable, and the pain can be so bad it makes me teary-eyed."
Mallary does not yet know if her allergy was triggered by anything in particular, but she has discovered that women of a certain age are more likely to have the condition.
She said: "In mid-2017, I noticed that I was having flare-ups where my skin would redden suddenly. I started documenting when they would happen and their severity."
She said that even act of walking from her car to the office filled her with anxiety (Caters News Agency)
She now uses specialist prescription medication and sunscreen (Caters News Agency)"Doctors and my own research say that women in their mid-30s are more likely to have this allergy. It comes on spontaneously and can spontaneously go away.
"However, for me, it has not gone away after six years. One doctor suggested that I may have had a mild form of urticaria - or just sensitive skin - my whole life."
Getting diagnosed with a sun allergy was a complicated process for Mallary, who said that she started the journey by visiting a dermatologist.
She said: "He rushed the appointment and wouldn't fully listen to me when we met. He did quickly say I had Solar urticaria. I didn't believe him and decided to seek further help.
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"I went to my internal medicine doctor. She listened and thoroughly checked me out.
"After a series of tests to rule out other conditions, she sent me to an allergist. She knew about the dermatologist's diagnosis, but she was not confident.
"At my first allergist appointment, she did a scratch test on me to show how my skin cells reacted and explained the biology of how they reacted to the sun.
"She listened to the information I gathered and looked at all the photos. She confirmed I do indeed have Solar Urticaria."
Mallary was advised by the dermatologist to use a high-zinc sunscreen and to take an antihistamine, Zyrtec, which she ended up taking between five and 15 times a day 'depending on the severity of my symptoms.'
But despite these measures, her condition got so bad that she 'begged' for another treatment option.
"My allergist said I was now in the chronic stage," she explained. "They started me on a pre-filled syringe of a prescription medication called Xolair, which can sometimes help certain types of Urticaria.
"I had to try out a few doses, and eventually ended up on vial injections every four weeks. This is the current treatment plan I am on now.
"I also take one or two Allergia daily, as I itch throughout the day. I only take one or two Zrytec, if needed. I still wear high-zinc sunscreen to the beach, or when I am very exposed for long periods, but I now live a relatively normal life. I no longer fear going outside."