My nose is permanently red after sunburn 5 years ago – strangers make comments but even doctors are baffled

The Sun

13 hours ago

JESSICA McGirr's nose has been left permanently red after getting sunburnt while on holiday in Tenerife over five years ago.
"The redness has ruined my self-confidence and I now wear makeup every day to hide it,' the 24-year-old, who currently lives in New York, US, said.
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"I get many comments from strangers asking me what's wrong with my nose or asking if I am sick," she added.
The young woman from Ireland was on a boat trip on the Spanish island when she nodded off under the blazing sun without any sunscreen on.
She spent around four hours exposed to strong UV rays and when she woke up burnt all over and with a bright red nose.
The initial marks took about a week to go down. But two weeks later, her nose was still red and sore.
'The skin on my nose was very textured and would often bleed and scab," the advert operator said.
'For the first three years after the burn, my nose was very inflamed,
"It is more calm at the moment," she said. "It's still very red but the texture is smoother.'
Sunburn can cause lasting damage to the skin, including premature aging, the development of precancerous lesions, and a significantly increased risk of skin cancer.
These harmful effects may not appear immediately and can take years, or even decades, to manifest.
Jessica has seen three different doctors about her nose but no one has been able to help her.
HSE issue skin cancer warning as Ireland set to bask in high temperatures this weekend
'No diagnosis has been made which is very frustrating because I wish I knew why this happened and if there could be a cure," she said.
At first, she was prescribed some creams and treatments for acne.
'Very let down'
When they didn't work, she was recommended to go to a skin clinic and get laser, which is sometimes used to help even out skin pigmentation.
She said: "I got four sessions of intense pulsed light therapy but saw no results.
'I've had visual skin evaluations and blood tests but no doctor ever gave me a diagnosis.
'They denied it being rosacea due to it only being on my nose and it staying consistently red.'
Jessica claims she hasn't been treated seriously and some doctors have simply told her to avoid spicy foods.
She said: 'I feel very let down by the healthcare system at home as no doctor ever seemed to care or wanted to refer me to a specialist.
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'I now wear factor 50 sunscreen every day.'
She would like to seek further help, but she's concerned it could end up being a waste of money.
'If I knew a treatment would work, I would love to try it," she added.
How to apply sun cream
Dr Karishma Hemmady, consultant dermatologist at Stratum Clinics, says: "I recommend reapplying every two hours as a minimum, as we tend to apply it much more sparingly than is done during lab testing – so a SPF 30 will offer you only SPF 15 in most cases."
But make sure to reapply as sun cream protection fades over the day.
Dr Hermmady says: "Exposure to water will also alter the protection, even if your product is water resistant, so if you're swimming, perspiring and towel drying, or any other vigorous or abrasive activity, make sure you re-apply.
"Up to 85 per cent of a product can be removed by towel drying."
Being unprotected will also increase the likelihood of suffering with sunburn which could also lead to heatstroke. This is particularly dangerous and potentially fatal in young children, the elderly and people with health conditions.
Dr Hemmady says: "Sunburn draws fluid to the skin surface and away from the rest of the body causing dehydration.
"In order to achieve the sun protection factor on the label, a fingertip-sized squirt should cover an area of skin the size of a hand.
"So, a couple of squirts should be sufficient to adequately protect the face and about one tablespoon worth needs to be applied to each body part.
"This is often a lot more than people think, so it is worth measuring this for a few applications to get a feel for how much is needed.
"Applying less will reduce the protection to a higher degree than is proportionate – for example, only applying half the required amount can actually reduce the protection by as much as two thirds."