Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Prologue
- Introduction
- 1 The Case of Black Sweat
- 2 A Case of Hives That Wouldn't Go Away
- 3 The Painful Bath
- 4 A Shower of Hives
- 5 A Premenstrual Rash
- 6 Uncombable Hair
- 7 The Man Who Couldn't Sweat
- 8 Scratch Blisters
- 9 Skin Deep Photography
- 10 The Bug That Never Was
- 11 Blue Spots
- 12 White Spots
- 13 Same Place, Next Time Rash
- 14 The Brown Spots That Wouldn't Go Away
- 15 The Case of the Painful Fingertips
- 16 A Strange Sunburn
- 17 A Multiple Personality Dermatitis
- 18 Accidental Hives
- 19 Rotten Fish Odor
- 20 Hormone Blisters
- 21 Flower Shop Itch
- 22 “Stress and a Penny” Hives
- 23 The Case of Unilateral Wrinkles
- 24 Fiery Red Legs
- 25 Painful Feet
- 26 Hot Flashes and Cold Cream
- 27 The Blisters and the Skin Test
- 28 A Chilling Pain
- 29 Rough Skin and Sore Throats
- 30 The Premenstrual Purple Chin
- 31 Nine Year Hives
- 32 Golf Course Dermatitis
- 33 The Secret Message
- 34 Herpes Gladiatorum
- 35 Sunshine Allergy
- 36 L'homme Rouge
- 37 Rings of Rash
- 38 The Breasts That Never Stopped Growing
- 39 The Minister's Hives
- 40 Hardened Skin
- 41 Battery Blisters
- 42 Swollen Lips
- 43 The Worm from Outer Space
- 44 A New Light on Psoriasis
- 45 Black and Blue Spots
- 46 The Emergency Room Itch
- 47 The Sleeper
- 48 A Crazy Rash
- 49 Bald Spots
- 50 The Dog Died
- 51 The Abacus Tumor
- 52 No Spit
- 53 The Smell of Burnt Toast
- 54 The Twenty-Three Year Itch
- 55 The Mysterious Treatment
- 56 The Creeping Acne Cyst
- 57 Our First Case
- 58 A Strange Case of Acne
- 59 The Case of the Glass Eye
- 60 The Hand Eczema Caper
- 61 The Sore That Would Never Heal
- 62 Black Blisters
- References
- Index
16 - A Strange Sunburn
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 November 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Prologue
- Introduction
- 1 The Case of Black Sweat
- 2 A Case of Hives That Wouldn't Go Away
- 3 The Painful Bath
- 4 A Shower of Hives
- 5 A Premenstrual Rash
- 6 Uncombable Hair
- 7 The Man Who Couldn't Sweat
- 8 Scratch Blisters
- 9 Skin Deep Photography
- 10 The Bug That Never Was
- 11 Blue Spots
- 12 White Spots
- 13 Same Place, Next Time Rash
- 14 The Brown Spots That Wouldn't Go Away
- 15 The Case of the Painful Fingertips
- 16 A Strange Sunburn
- 17 A Multiple Personality Dermatitis
- 18 Accidental Hives
- 19 Rotten Fish Odor
- 20 Hormone Blisters
- 21 Flower Shop Itch
- 22 “Stress and a Penny” Hives
- 23 The Case of Unilateral Wrinkles
- 24 Fiery Red Legs
- 25 Painful Feet
- 26 Hot Flashes and Cold Cream
- 27 The Blisters and the Skin Test
- 28 A Chilling Pain
- 29 Rough Skin and Sore Throats
- 30 The Premenstrual Purple Chin
- 31 Nine Year Hives
- 32 Golf Course Dermatitis
- 33 The Secret Message
- 34 Herpes Gladiatorum
- 35 Sunshine Allergy
- 36 L'homme Rouge
- 37 Rings of Rash
- 38 The Breasts That Never Stopped Growing
- 39 The Minister's Hives
- 40 Hardened Skin
- 41 Battery Blisters
- 42 Swollen Lips
- 43 The Worm from Outer Space
- 44 A New Light on Psoriasis
- 45 Black and Blue Spots
- 46 The Emergency Room Itch
- 47 The Sleeper
- 48 A Crazy Rash
- 49 Bald Spots
- 50 The Dog Died
- 51 The Abacus Tumor
- 52 No Spit
- 53 The Smell of Burnt Toast
- 54 The Twenty-Three Year Itch
- 55 The Mysterious Treatment
- 56 The Creeping Acne Cyst
- 57 Our First Case
- 58 A Strange Case of Acne
- 59 The Case of the Glass Eye
- 60 The Hand Eczema Caper
- 61 The Sore That Would Never Heal
- 62 Black Blisters
- References
- Index
Summary
“I can't stand the sun. It burns me,” was a seventy-eight-year-old man's complaint. We thought this would be just another case of photosensitivity due to medicine he was taking. But, that is not how it turned out.
For many years he had completely avoided sunlight, because even being in the sun for a few minutes made his exposed skin itch and burn and turn bright red. It was no ordinary sunburn, which takes hours to develop, but was virtually immediate. By going indoors the reaction would pass in about an hour, leaving no trace. He had never been outdoors long enough to know how severe a burn he might develop.
His history disclosed that he had had an adenocarcinoma of the colon excised two years ago. Otherwise, he had always been in good health. He had no known allergies nor did he smoke, drink, or take a single medication. His family history was noncontributory. His contactants included Dial Soap, shaving cream, after-shave lotion, baby shampoo, and a hair colorant.
He had found sunscreens and antihistaminics of no help. Physicians had tried a number of prescriptions without success.
On examination his skin was normal, but when we sent him outdoors for ten minutes of exposure to the February sunlight, he returned with extremely red skin over his hands, face, neck, and scalp, which burned and itched severely. He remained in our office for the afternoon while his symptoms and the redness abated.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Consultations in DermatologyStudies of Orphan and Unique Patients, pp. 56 - 58Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2006