SKIN TANNING

[Nancy - South Jersey]

I remember previous threads on the old site about people having darkened skin where they were asked if they had been on vacation. I think I remember reading that they were told it was from the medication they were taking for treatment of sclero..

The reason I ask is because soooo many people keep tell me how tan I look. I am NOT, nor ever have been, on any medication for Sclero. The only medication I take is Crestor for my cholesterol.

I'm wondering if the "tan" issue could possibly have something to do with skin changes caused by sclero. I presently don't have any skin involvement and have been diagnosed with Systemic Scleroderma Sine, but I was wondering if perhaps this could be the start.

Just wondering. Thanks for any insight you can offer.

[jeffn]

From my reading early on about SD skin darkening is common for many of us irregardless of meds. I am on mino BUT my skin was getting darker before I began any meds for SD. For several years before my SD went active I was getting dark spots on my skin. At the time I attributed them to sun damage from too much time outdoors. After the SD became active my skin got darker all over not just in spots. When I began mino I started to tan more but evenly. The darkening was clearly evident previous to mino though. As an aside I did notice that last winter I faded out more than the previous winter. Still dark just less so.

I don't know what your increased darkening means in the grand scheme of things. Early on here we had a shameless troll about the leveling off process of SD. IIRC the folks who had SD for many years and their progression had slowed down still had SD symptoms that progressed, just more slowly.

Just my observations taken from my road to and from SD. Have you run this by your doc?

[Nancy - South Jersey]

Thanks, Jeff. No, I haven't run this by my doc....yet. I am somewhat tan from the summer so I didn't think much about it, but lately a lot of people have been telling me how tan I look. In the beginning I just laughed and said it was from having "old skin", but it's been happening too often now and I'm starting to wonder if it has something to do with the SD. I just saw my rheumy and the Sclero Specialist last month. Don't go back for 3 more.

[steve201]

sometimes the slightest sun will cause the skin pigmentation to activate quicker...meaning you get tanned....when I first got sick...I had spots and stuff....where the skin was tanning or something...couldn't figure it out...then I got on minocycline and even the flourescent lights at work were tanning me....I looked like I should be in a 7/11 or something with a towel wrapped around my head....anyway.....once I got off of minocycline and on tetracycline...my skin is returning to normal....but I still am sensative to sun tanning..

Steve

[deannagraham]

I turned monkey brown from 02/08 - 08/08. Of course, after total body irradiation for the stem cell transplant I was very, very brown. My doctor said sd, for some reason, causes the skin to either lighten or darken significantly. Go figure.

[klw1960]

my skin darkening actually was one of my sypmtoms before diagnosis before take any meds.

[Cubby]

My understanding was that the scleroderma, itself, can cause you to look tan. To further complicate it, those of us on AP, are even MORE tan due to the minocin.

So, yes, the disease with no meds at all can cause you to look tan, according to everyone I have heard from over the years. I can't tell if I would look tan or not as I am on the Minocin.

[grammie]

I didn't notice if I was tanning prior to minocycline but I sure am now! Interesting that my last doctor's visit the comment was that I was getting lighter now that I'm not in the sun as much....still tan but not as dark. Just an interesting comment.

grammie