Unconsciously running away from the sun to do better science.
Song: 5 A.M. by Kartell
I went to Sweden to develop PLME.
Polymorphous light eruption (PLME) is the most common skin dermatitis, however, it is more prevalent in the Scandies (21%). Maybe read this paper for more information.
My sun deprivation journey started when I left Guyana for NYC then I went to Boston, then home became Southern California (SoCal). But surely I didn’t want the sun as it wanted me, and I went into the darkness; January in Sweden. My third year in Sweden I had mastered counting in Swedish and acknowledging that most Swedes do not like to be to hugged (there’s a good awkward story about that). I went home to SoCal for Christmas, as usual, and after two days on a rock, I would see these little bumps on my arm. The rest is history. I tried everything to figure out what it was. I stopped using things with lemon in it. I stop using lotions (ashy much), I tried sunscreen (not really, I didn’t want to be that black girl with the white boyfriend who uses sunscreen). OK, I know now, from my Dermatologists friends that this is a crazy error in thought and I should always wear sunscreen. I tried different lotions, soaps, types of water, foods. I did everything possible. I went to South Africa, Cape Town and I got the little rash, I went to Spain, they came, I went home and they still seemed to follow.
“I run to where I can get paid to do good science and the amount you get paid is indirectly proportional to the amount of sunlight that city receives each year.”
One of my friends would joke that if I stayed too long in Sweden I would become white. Well now, that’s an impossibility but tell that to my PLME!
Of course, as I would, where do I move to next? Berlin and now London. It might seem like I am running from the sun but honestly, I run to where I can get paid to do good science and the amount you get paid is indirectly proportional to the amount of sunlight that city receives each year.
I spent one week in Barbados, and now with my sun rash but overall better-looking skin, lips no longer weirdly red but nicely dark (as they should be), skin soft as ever, forgetting the rash on my arm, I am much better for the sun. My body needs the sun even more than my mind, otherwise, she will throw a tantrum when she first sees sunlight and I get rashes. COT DAMN IT!
Ok, you know what this means? I need to plan more sun trips and invest in a sun simulator for my apartment. Science couldn’t care less about my skin issues.