Polymorphous light eruption treatment : My personal path towards natural prevention

If you’ve done your research like me, you may have found several clinical studies revealing the effectiveness of a formulation combining alpha-glucosylrutin (also called AGR, ag-rutin, glucosylrutin) and Vitamin E. According to many research conclusions*, this is an effective preventive treatment for PMLE. 80% of people who have used this formulation have experienced a major improvement of their PMLE and most of them had no symptoms at all. The problem? THIS LOTION DOES NOT EXIST! Until recently…

Five months ago, I was planning a trip to Mexico and decided I had had enough of PMLE controlling my life (and vacations). I decide to develop a cosmetic antioxidant body lotion (with the help of a chemist, obviously) . At first my idea was to develop a small quantity for myself. I soon realized the cost involved in formulating and producing a cosmetic was tremendous and the minimum quantity way too much for me. I mean, what in the world would I do with 300 kg of body lotion with a 3-year shelf life? This project took a whole new direction as I realized how many people were struggling with PMLE, and how much they could benefit from my project.

So I did it! I formulated this antioxidant body lotion available online for US and Canadian consumers in just a few short weeks. All ingredients are natural, in part ECOCERT certified and are suitable for sensitive skin. It is an ultra-light lotion that quickly absorbs, making it easy to apply every 2 hours while on vacation and until hardening occurs.

Shirudo Antioxidant Body Lotion is NOT a sunscreen. You must still apply sun protection, but the good news is that you can keep using your favorite. PMLE affects every ethnicity and skin type, therefore there is no way a single sunscreen with AGR could be suitable for all of them. That’s why I created this glucosylrutin lotion to be use in combination with your favourite sunscreen.

The horrible truth about PMLE is the ‘polymorphous’ part, because everyone experiences it differently. Unfortunately this also means that this PMLE preventive treatment might not work for you. But I really hope you will give it a try.

Please visit shirudo.com to find find all information, including ingredients and usage. This product is available in the USA and Canada exclusively at shirudo.com.

To try Shirudo Antioxidant Body Lotion, please visit Shirudo.com

  • * In a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical study by Hadshiew et al, the efficacy of a new topical formulation was compared with a broad-spectrum sunscreen. The new product contained 0.25% alpha-glucosylrutin (a natural, modified flavonoid) and 1% tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E). Thirty patients with a history of PMLE were pretreated with the formulations 30 minutes prior to daily photoprovocation with UV-A irradiation of 60-100 J/cm2 to the upper arms.

The authors found a statistically significant difference (P <.001) between the antioxidant-containing formulations and placebo and between the sunscreen-only formulation. Only a single patient treated with the new antioxidant UV-protective gel formulation developed clinical signs of PMLE in the area treated. In comparison, 62.1% of the placebo-treated areas and 41.3% of the sunscreen-only treated areas showed mild-to-moderate signs of PMLE. The authors suggested that combining a potent antioxidant with a broad-spectrum sunscreen is far more effective in preventing PMLE than sunscreen alone. Read complete studies here.


Jeanmougin et al studied the effectiveness 0.25% alpha-glucosyl-rutin, 1% vitamin E, and a broad-spectrum highly UVA–protective sunscreen (SPF 15; persistent pigmentation darkening 6) under real solar exposure conditions in the spring and summer. The cream was applied every 2 hours after the first summer exposure. No topical or systemic treatments to prevent PMLE were used; dermatologists checked patients after the summer was over and interviewed them. 

In this study, 52 of 54 patients finished study, and 67% of patients had no eruptions, 19% had minor eruptions, and 13% had severe eruptions of PMLE. Pruritus, which had been present in all patients the year preceding the study, was not observed in 69% of patients and was unbearable for only 3 patients (compared with 27 patients before the study preparation was used).The dermatologic assessment was that global efficacy was approximately 80%, with inadequate results in 10% of cases; specifically, it was deemed excellent for 35 patients and good for 7 patients

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  1. You are a genius, thank you I have been searching for a preventative and found your product I can’t wait to try it, I’m wondering tho how long will the bottle last?? I work outside and I’m at the point where I am ready to leave my job I am tired of dealing with it and always covering up and overheating in the summer months. If I used this Monday-Friday 8 hours a day so that would be 4 applications a day on my hands, face, arms, neck and chest how long do you think this would last for, I’m just trying to figure out what It would cost for a summer duration

    Reply

    1. Thanks for your comment Teresa! I have to admit this is a very difficult question to answer. I mainly use it on beach vacation, so I apply it everywhere every 2 hours from 9am to 4 or 5pm (4 or 5 applications a day). That would be an average of 30 ml a day, so approx. 6 ml/full body application. You really don’t have to use much. I’m average height and weight- 5’2″ and 53kgs. At this regime a bottle last 7 or 8 days.

      It is very approximate but I would say you need 80% less lotion to cover only body part mentioned. That would be 6 ml a day, could last up to last 39 workings days. I’m calculating it on the fly but you will have to test it by yourself. In fact you could test with a regular moisturizing lotion tomorrow and see how much you use for a day. AGR+E bottle is 8 oz / 233 ml. Thanks for you feedback and hoping the lotion will be helpful. Eloise

      Reply

  2. I used to suffer from pmle in my 30s but inexplicably grew out of it by my mid to late 50s. Unfortunately my daughter, now 35, has also begun to suffer from it in recent years but far worse than I ever did. She has been doing her own research & sent me links to various articles about Shirudo. The problem is that we live in the Uk & the cost of the product combined with shipping costs means it’s not really a realistic option for her on a long term basis. Do you know if there are any Uk companies selling it or if there is a comparable product I can get for her in the Uk? She is getting so depressed about it & her job means she often has to spend long periods of time outdoors.
    Thanks – I hope you can help!

    Reply

    1. Hi Debbye, Shirudo is only sold online at shirudo.com. There is no distributor or retail location in UK. In my knowing it is the only cosmetic lotion using a formulation of glucosylrutin and vitamin E. The only other product would be Eucerin Sun Allergy sunscreen available in Belgium and Germany. You could probably find it online and have it shipped to UK. I tried it once and had good results. It it not as effective as Shirudo on me, but was for sure my best option so far before developing my own formulation.

      If you can’t order Eucerin, you might want to know Shirudo lotion has a shelf life of 2 years. After a one time test if results are good you could order a bigger quantity and keep it in dark and cool place to save on shipping. Unfortunately UK is one of the most expensive shipping destination from USA and Canada. And Royal Mail even charge taxes and handling fees for most import on top of it… I’m afraid it is very difficult to unite PMLE sufferers of the world! In the next year I will try to find a solution for European customers. Hoping this will help.

      Reply