Staying Safe in the Sun With Lupus

If you have lupus, you're likely quite sensitive to the sun. But if you take Plaquenil, it makes you extra sensitive to the sun.

If you live in an especially hot environment, it’s best to limit the time that you spend outside in the heat and sun. If you do have to be outside for some reason, say your family is going to an amusement park or the beach, there are several precautions that you can take to avoid a flare-up and have the best day possible.

Cover Up

If you're going to be outside for a long period of time, wear a really thin, white, long-sleeved shirt over the clothes or bathing suit that you're wearing already. This doesn't completely filter out UV rays or sun damage, but it certainly helps!

Wear Sunscreen

Even if you’re covered up in a long-sleeved shirt, wear sunscreen and reapply it every two hours. Reapply it after you sweat or swim; even though most sunscreen says it's water proof, it’s actually not that waterproof.

Wear a Big Sun Hat

Wear a sun hat to protect your face — you might as well make it fashionable and get one of those big, floppy straw hats that will keep your face completely shaded from the sun.

Find Shade

Spend time in the shade whenever you can. If you're going to the beach for a long day you might want to set up camp on the boardwalk or at a restaurant nearby where you can have drinks with family and friends in the shade and spend less time on the actual beach in full sun.

If you're at an amusement park or something like that, find ways to shade yourself from the sun as often as possible, like going underneath the overhangs when you're waiting in lines or taking some time out at a restaurant to have a drink, cool down, and get out of the sun.

If you have lupus, make sure you’re sun smart and don't overdo it in the sun this summer!