Skin Health Series: Philomena's Story

What is your name?

My name is Philomena.

What is your skin condition?

I have chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and an underactive thyroid. With these illnesses, I also have vitiligo and have lost all of the brown pigments all over my body.

How does your skin condition affect your day-to-day living?

Having vitiligo means my skin is seriously sensitive to the sun, making my daily life very difficult to enjoy. I have to wear a high SPF 50+ sun protection cream all year round, but no matter what sun protection I use, my skin will burn after 5 minutes in the sun.

Vitiligo is very hard to live with and it has stopped me from enjoying everyday life. I used to love the outdoors: walking, gardening, walking the dog and going to the beach. Now I carry a sun protection umbrella all year round and people stare at me.

What you have found to alleviate it?

My specialist doctor told me about your clothing, so I purchased the Luxe Sun Wrap and I am very excited to wear it. We are going for six weeks to see our son, his wife and six children who live in New Zealand.

This is our first time visiting them, and I am hoping the wrap will mean I can join in with all the family activities and enjoy the sun. My son and his family do not know I have to avoid the sun, and I am really scared as I don't want to ruin the holiday. Wish me luck.

Thank you Philomena for helping raise awareness for skin conditions by sharing your story with us and our Solbari Community. Good luck on your holiday!

The Solbari Team

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It's all about awareness really, and people are aware, they just need to take it seriously and notice it more. Knowing the consequences and being mindful of how easy it is to avoid, life in general, being out and about, is much easier, happier and less painful.