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Many of you may indeed have DSAP. Here is some information on HOW phototoxic reactions happen and can pre-dispose you to POROKERATOSOIS. Reseacrh has shown that NOT everyone that has Porokeratosis (DSAP) has a family history or any other medical condition which accounts for the disease. There is lterature out there that shows people who have been burned develope this condition as well as TRAMA to the skin as in phototoxic reactions to drugs with sunlight. Here is what occurs. A photosenstive med is taken. Photosensitive medications react to ONLY the UVA rays. Science long thought UVA was harmless they NOW know that UVA rays penetrate the dermis the most inner layer of the skin where cell renewal takes as well as the DNA. Knowing now that UVA is the RAY responsible for phototoxic reactions to the sun while taking medication,what occurs is this: The photochemical ( photosensitive drug is activated by the radiation from the UVA casuing a toxic environment to the DNA of the dermis.Cell death occurs immediately. In normal sunburns you'll note that peeling is the bodies response to burns,this is because aptosis takes place. As is a GOOD thing. But in a phototoxic reaction to a medication,the aptosis reaction gets sidetracked,it can no longer decide what is good ,what is bad? Because it's all bad. The cells in the DERMIS become confused and mutated in a way that doesn't allow the natural defenses of cell renewal to take place. Which is WHY burn victims can have DSAP as well as people who have been exposed or reacted to photosenstive meds. The real problem lies in people NOT realising they have taken a photosenstive med. HAVE you EVER been sun-burned and thought that it was odd you were burned ,when the time spent in the sun DID NOT coorelate with the degree of burns,meaning you were sun-burned TOO much for the time you were exposed? If you look at some medications your taking,you MIGHT not see that the drug your taking is a photosenstive drug,meaning there is NO warning on the package to alert you to be protective while taking this medication and exposing yourself to the sun ,the UVA rays,which are the ones responsible,which are the RAYS that are able to penetrate glass as well as clothes! But if you LOOK up ALL the facts on some drugs ,you will find that that drug ,even though it doesn't have a warning on the package will have a warning elsewhere maybe the package insert or maybe you will see that drug listed on the numerous internet sites that list drugs that are known to be photosensitising with the sun (UVA) Here is a way for you who don't understand this to relate. There are treatments called PDT ,this means Photodynamic therapy ,it is called this because the treatment is done with a photosenstive medication and the person is then exposed to UVA. The GOOD thing about PDT ,is that it is done in a controlled environment. The photosensitive medication is ONLY applied to the lesion being treated and the UVA beam is ONLY directed to the lesion that has had the PHOTOSENSITIVE medication applied ,therefore ONLY that lesion will be effected. PDT is done this way ,because it is TOO toxic for normal skin. They KNOW immediate cell death takes place and certainly don't want to KILL all the GOOD normal cells that the DNA is made of. To do this would cause devastaing skin conditions,such as the one I just described to you. Photosenstive medications are causing SKIN disease at a rapid rate,more and more drugs are being named as they sdlowly learn of what is occuring. The FDA has a special task force working on this right now.They have made a guideline for drug manufacturers to follow as to labeling this reaction on medications that have known to create phototoxic responses. This has been known for YEARS by photobiologists and photochemists' who specialize in these areas,however;it has been slow to the public. Most people don't associate their sun-burns to their medication,therefore LITTLE reports are out there to study.Science has said this very thing,that people are not putting the two together ( Therefore people are literally in the dark on this as well as the longterm effects. soon this will change as more and more are educated and realise what damage has been done. For further information or specific questions feel free to email me.

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Surprisely, I was diagnosed correctly with DSAP 20 years ago when I was 30. I knew it wasn't cancerous, but I didn't know it was genetic until 8 years ago. Thanks for all your information. The lesions on my legs have gotten more pronounced over time, so now I wear long skirts and pants unless I'm swimming. I get so tired from the questions about how I got so many bug bites! Or the more direct ones from the rude folks--"what are those spots on your legs?" Even my parents want to know how to make them go away! I'm the only one in our family to have DSAP show up, so I don't know who has the gene. I've done nothing for treatment because my dermatologist told me directly that there's no known cure. I decided that with my fair skin, looking redder would be worse than doing nothing. But if the psoraisis medications could minimize the appearance, I would gladly try them!