When I was younger, with a lot less knowledge of sun damage and a lot more free time, I used to love tanning my face a deep brown. I thought a tan might act as a sort of camouflage for the purple port wine stain that covered most of my left check and eye. I figured that the paler the skin, the more prominent the birthmark. Many years later, I met an African-American woman with a port wine stain just like mine. She and I took off our makeup together to play around with new products, and lo and behold, even with her dark skin, her birthmark was just as bright as mine. So much for that theory.
But how important is it to keep our birthmarks protected from the sun? I posed this question to Dr. Stuart Nelson of the Beckman Laser Institute at the University of California, Irvine. He recommends total sunblock, particularly around the time of laser treatments.
"The reason," Dr. Nelson says, "is the most superficial layer of the skin, the epidermis, contains pigmented cells known as melanocytes. Exposure to sunlight causes the melanocytes to produce more melanin. The problem is that many of the yellow and green wavelengths used to treat PWS are also highly absorbed by melanin, which in effect acts as an optical shield. The incoming laser light is blocked by epidermal melanin, thereby decreasing the amount of light that reaches the targeted PWS blood vessels. Moreover, more light being absorbed and converted to heat by epidermal melanin leads to more blistering and scabbing after the treatment.
"Laser exposure, due to the reasons described above, can stimulate the melanocytes to produce more melanin. Therefore, it is essential that after laser treatment, patients avoid sun exposure to their "already stimulated" melanocytes otherwise the skin will turn a dark brown color clinically referred to as hyperpigmentation."
So sun exposure is a terrible idea before treatment, making the laser less effect and increasing the risk of blistering and scabbing. And after treatment, the skin is more vulnerable to the sun, so there's the risk of brown spots on the treated areas.
Staying in the house is one option, but only nocturnal types manage to avoid the sun altogether. Dr. Nelson recommends Total Block from the Fallene, Ltd. in
Pennsylvania, which, he says, is "a transparent zinc oxide that blocks all of the visible and ultraviolet wavelengths." It comes in a clear, oil-free formula with an SPF 65 (1 oz. $23.). You can also use it as a fairly opaque makeup. The tinted formula has an SPF 60 and comes with a base color plus packets of "light" and "dark" color so you can mix the shades to match your skin (2 oz. $23.). Find these products at www.totalblock.com or www.dermadoctor.com.
More and more companies are realizing the importance of total sun block, and your local drugstore may well be stocked with a fairly good selection. Look for Hawaiian Tropic Ozone Sunblock SPF 70, Panama Jack Sun'Surf Sunblock Lotion SPF75, South Beach Sun Sport Sunblock, SPF 50+,Sea & Ski Faces Sensitive Skin Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50.
In Europe, pharmacies carry La Roche-Posay Anthelios 60 XL Cream, which the company claims, is a broad spectrum UVA/UVB cream containing "a new and exclusive photostable filtering system." It's available online at www.a-world-of-perfumes-cosmetics.com ($29).
The bottom line is that the sun isn't great for anybody's skin. It causes wrinkles, spots and even skin cancer. Those of us being treated for vascular birthmarks just have to be even more careful than most people.
