Hormone Replacement Therapy and Tanning Beds

by Anonymous

I visited a tanning bed for the first time and have developed the same symptoms of dermagraphism as I had after the birth of one of my children. I was told at the time that it was a result of hormone levels after pregnancy. I am currently taking hormone replacement therapy.

I have bumps under my skin on my lower back that itch terribly. When I scratch other parts of my body, I have the same raised welts that are exhibited with dermatographism.

My question is - could the hormone replacement therapy have enhanced my sensitivity to the ultra violet rays of the tanning bed?



Is it difficult to say because the causes of dermographism are essentially unknown. Some people have reported benefits of tanning with their dermographism, but in your case it appears to have caused it to resurface. There are many possible side effects with hormone replacement therapy and usually increased sun sensitively is not one of them, but doing some quick research indicated that it appears it can be a side-effect depending on the hormones that you are taking.

If using a patch to deliver the hormones, tanning and heat can cause the release of more hormones than it should and this could cause a number of health issues. Check with the physician that has prescribed your medication to discuss this problem in more detail.