Woman With Rare Skin Condition Can Never Go In The Sun
Andrea suffers from a rare genetic skin condition that makes going out during the day nearly impossible, as it can lead to deadly skin cancer if she is exposed to sunlight. With the help of dermatologist Dr. Sonia Batra, The Doctors give Andrea a possibly life-changing surprise.
“I go out at night. I don’t like to go out in the day… I develop skin cancers and melanomas really, really fast, so everything is at night for me,” Andrea says.
Dr. Batra explains that Andrea suffers from Xeroderma Pigmentosum, often called XP, and it usually only occurs in 1 in 250,000 to 1 in a million people.
“The concern is the gene is altered that allows her to repair damage from UV light,” Dr. Batra says. “People with this develop skin cancer at a much younger age and really have to take extreme precautions to avoid any form of ultraviolet light, not just outside, but even from florescent lights.”
Fortunately, there is hope for Andrea and others who battle XP, in the form of a new laser treatment.
“We can actually resurface the skin and get rid of a lot of those atypical cells and really give people with this condition a cleaner slate,” Dr. Batra tells The Doctors, and adds, “Andrea, I’m so excited to offer this to you… for free, no cost.”
“This means so much to me,” an elated Andrea, who chronicles her unique life on her blog, says. “The reason I started by my blog is because I want to share with the world what I have [and that] you can live with this. You just have to be very positive.”
In addition to the treatment from Dr. Batra, The Doctors surprise Andrea – who is an artist and photographer – with a shopping spree at Michaels Craft Store and a new camera from B&H.
To read more about Andrea’s journey, check out her blog!
