My friend came to me with one of the most bizarre problems I’d heard of: Ever since she was pregnant with her first child, she would instantly develop a rash wherever her skin was exposed to the sun. Previously, she had no problems with the sun and would tan nicely like everyone else.
Well a little Google surfing revealed that there is actually an official name for this condition: Solar Dermatitis. And the typical recommended treatment is cool compress, oatmeal, aloe and staying out of the sun.
But none of those address any kind of a root cause – which is where I always look when treating the body. And if we don’t get to the root cause or imbalance in the body, we will never have healing – symptom soothing, masking or repression, yes, but not healing.
Well, sometimes I surprise even myself and I’m pleased to say that the first treatment I suggested to my friend worked a charm and her sun rash problem disappeared after only 2 weeks on this protocol – never to return again! Can you imagine? Nine years of not being able to go out in the sun (with any skin exposed) – and when you have 3 young children like she does, that’s a big deal.
In her case, since pregnancy triggered onset of the solar dermatitis, I wondered if there was a hormonal imbalance at work. However, I suggested we first look at balancing the gut (because whenever there’s a skin problem, you need to look to the digestive system) and taking nutrients specifically for the skin first. And if that didn’t work, then we could move on to investigating the endocrine system.
Fortunately, the gut/skin regimen worked brilliantly and we didn’t have to go any further. So here’s my natural treatment protocol for solar dermatitis:
1. Balance Your Gut Flora – this means you need to get an abundance of good bacteria into your gut, rather than bad bacteria and yeast/fungi. Take 1 Natren Healthy Trinity Capsule (the 3-in-1 capsule) per day until you no longer get a rash when you go out in the sun. Then stay on a maintenance dose of 1 per day for the next 6-12 months, just to be sure. If you don’t consume any food-based probiotics (fermented veggies, homemade yoghurt, etc.) then you should just stay on 1 Healthy Trinity capsule every 1-3 days indefinitely. This will also provide protection against a host of other diseases and ailments. You can usually get your local health store to order Natren Healthy Trinity in for you if they don’t already carry it – but don’t substitute another brand, or you will not get the same results.
2. Take Targetted Nutrients For Your Skin – take a high quality cod liver oil that contains ONLY naturally-occurring Vitamin A and D. I like either Carlson or Nordic Naturals brands (available at most high quality health stores). Take either 1 tsp (or 5 capsules) per day. Also take Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) and again, I prefer Carlson brand, since it is naturally-derived. You need to take the right amount of Vitamin D – both according to your racial heritage and the climate you live in. Since my friend is light-skinned, blonde hair and we live in the Pacific Northwest (not much sun – not that she could go out in the sun anyway!) she took 2,000 IU per day. With my darker skin, I take 4,000 IU Vitamin D3 per day.
3. Stop Putting Toxins Into Your Body – it makes sense that if you’re trying to help your body detox and balance it’s gut terrain, then you’re going to see the best results if what you’re ingesting every day helps that process – rather than hinders it. So this means: No processed, packaged food, no nitrates, no preservative, no artificial flavors and sweeteners, no hydrogenated/vegetable oils – basically, no standard crap that everyone else eats. You also need to reduce your sugar as much as you possibly can, because sugar (and simple carbs like white flour and white rice) are the preferred food source for candida yeast/fungus and bad bacteria. Do eat: fresh, organic vegetables, meat, eggs and eat them raw or use cold-pressed oils (coconut, olive oil) and organic butter to cook them in. When you need a treat, use these healthy recipes for muffins and puffed squares.
Since she is the only one I know of with this problem and this treatment worked brilliantly for her, if you try it, please post your results in the COMMENTS section below, so we can pool our knowledge…
soar higher,
Jini
____________________________________________________
©2010 Jini Patel Thompson. You can copy or distribute this article as long as you include the author’s name and this bio:
Jini Patel Thompson’s books on natural healing for digestive diseases have sold in over 40 different countries. Her health articles have been published in journals and magazines in the U.S., Australia and U.K. www.ListenToYourGut.com
I, too, suffer from solar dermatitis. It started one month after I moved to Florida. I am African American, hence my skin is darker. It is genetic as I have passed it to my 11 mo old daughter. I will try this remedy and post my results.
I have gotten these “sun bumps” also for the past 6 years. I’m not sure what triggered this. I also used to tan very easily. I have been told, by 2-3 alternative health practitioners that these are caused by parasites. I know that I have at least 2-3 different parasites in my body but I don’t know which one these are due to. I did a “rodding out” followed by a homeopathic remedy. With there being no sun in Iowa during this time of the year- I don’t know if this worked or not. I am going to Cancun in a few weeks so I can’t wait to see. I have also been weaning myself down on my 6-mp. I was told that as long as I am taking any pharmaceutical, I will continue to have these. I will also continue to take the probiotic before I go.
I have had the exact same thing happen to me…after my first child. I have had this condition for 9 years. I cannot wait to see if this works. I will repost when i have used this for 2 weeks. Saying a prayer!!!!
Yes, please let us know Jody! I just saw my friend who had this problem and this is summer #2 for her and she’s still good! She’s still taking all the supplements.
OK…i couldnt afford the Natren capsules..no drug stores carried it either…I have since started using an off brand..which has 35 billion viable cells per capsule. I also did get the Cod liver oil..in the brand u recommend. I have took 2 pro biotics today and the cod oil…check back with u in a week or so.
Unless the probiotic manufacturer guarantees the LIVE bacterial count through to the expiration date of the product (not just at time of packaging/manufacture), you have no idea of the potency and whether they will work effectively or not. Well, here’s hoping…
This sounds like a bloody scam to me. While I’m all for healthy digestive functioning and an unhealthy digestive tract can impair the body in many ways, I’m calling scam–anything that tells me to take a specific pill for a ridiculous amount of time instead of eating properly is a joke.
taking a good probiotic (I always recommend Natren Healthy Trinity too) is not a scam. This is not a pharmaceutical drug but something natural to help your gut flora (critical for immune system to work properly) get back in balance. I have had a lot of success with using healthy trinity and you don’t need to use it forever, so it is worth the price tag. many buy a less expensive brand but don’t see results because after manufacture the colony dies off, so the label claim is useless. I am going to try this protocol and get back to you. I usually do eat this way, but have to admit that lately I have not been eating as well as I usually do. I recently was sunburned on my shoulders after spending 5 hours in the sun and did not reapply the sunscreen. now whenever my shoulder is exposed to the sun, even if only for few minutes, it itches terribly, burns and gets red patches. This happens even if I am wearing a shirt.
Hi Vonna – yes I have noticed the same thing with my husband’s bald head! He has burned it once or twice and now it is very quick to burn again. I think what might work really well in this case, is to get yourself an aloe vera plant and apply the fresh gel daily for 21 days every morning and then apply pure comfrey salve at night. I think alternating these 2 powerful healing agents is your best chance of restoring that tissue to normal (or close to it) – this is the brand of comfrey we have in the shoppe as it is an excellent one:
http://shoppe.listentoyourgut.com
Hi. My solar dermatitis has gotten worse as the years go by. Now, my skin does not even have to be exposed to the sun (just being outdoor even in the shade) for me to develop the red itchy rash on my face. This year, the condition has progressed to other areas of my body. I can’t wait to try this remedy.
Hi Tha,
Thanks for posting – Jini would love to hear how it works out for you! Feel free to post your results here or email us at service@listentoyourgut.com.
Kind regards,
Justin
Customer Care
Hi , I have also have this annoying problem which came up after I had my first child , my skin is rough and often bleeds due to the dryness of my skin , I have been battling this problem for 2 years nw , I live in south africa and I’m worried about if I cannot get the same brand !
Hi Shobana,
I wish I had a better answer for you but I’m afraid that we can’t really recommend anything in your particular case if you have not been diagnosed. However, in Jini’s experience, cocoa butter can be beneficial for dry skin so you may want to try that if you can source it locally. The brand Jini uses is Mountain Rose Herbs here:
http://shoppe.listentoyourgut.com/organic-cocoa-butter-expeller-pressed-unrefined-8-oz/
Kind regards,
Justin
Customer Care
Hi Jini!
I bought the supplements and going to try this protocol. My story is almost identical to your friends so I’m praying it helps. 🙏🏻 I’ve dealt with this now for 5 years. I do have a question on the diet…what about Fruits? And also, is Stevia and xylitol ok to bake with? I need something sweet in my life. 😃
Hi Tara,
Thanks for your question! While only you can truly dictate what your body/gut can tolerate, we do carry a few different versions of Absorb Plus which contain sweetener- Original is sweetened with natural fructose and stevia, and Simply is sweetened with dextrose and stevia.
Also, here are a few recipes by Jini which may satisfy your sweet craving – with actually virtually no sugar (or none) at all!
Chocolate Cashew Butter Fudge – Dairy-Free, GF, and nearly Sugar-Free! https://blog.listentoyourgut.com/chocolate-cashew-butter-fudge-dairy-free-gf-and-nearly-sugar-free/
How To Make A Natural, Sugar-Free Slurpee! https://blog.listentoyourgut.com/how-to-make-a-natural-sugar-free-slurpee/
Sugar-Free Chocolate Fruit & Fresh Greens Pudding or Smoothie: https://blog.listentoyourgut.com/sugar-free-chocolate-fruit-fresh-greens-pudding-or-smoothie/
In good health,
Savannah B
Customer Care