Allergy and farmers tan.

Several years ago I developed a skin problem. The palms of my hands and soles of my feet broke out in blisters and the blistered skin slowly died. I knew it was an allergic reaction to something but it has taken me years to work out what. I think I have nailed it now.

I could find no rhyme nor reason to the problem that recurred every so often. Firstly I blamed home made bread, perhaps the yeast in it, as we had just bought a bread maker. Then I blamed bottled wine and so I avoided that. I went to a skin specialist, but he did not know and agreed with my own diagnosis that it was an allergic reaction. He halved his fee since he did nothing except chat for a couple of minutes. I went for allergy reactions tests. No surprises there. I was highly allergic to rye grass pollen. As a sufferer of hayfever when I was younger, I knew that already. I have grown out of it.

I had not had an episode since last summer and then it happened again in December. What changed in December? I started using sun block on my arms when I was out in a short sleeved shirt. I now think it may well be the sunscreen. I will probably try a non allergic brand, but at this stage, I have stopped using it. Consequently I now have brown arms to above my elbows. Fortunately Jeb has some ideas about what to do about a farmer's tan.