Allergic to Sunscreen - Decorah,IA

I just bought some baby lizard austrailian sunscreen at CVS. there is a sensitive skin formula ( white tube) seemed to work well for my son, he has eczema so I have to watch ingredients too.

I have children who are allergic to sunscreen. Look for the ones that say PABA free on them. We have been able to use those types. L.

Have you tried Skin So Soft bug repellant with sunscreen? I don't know if it will be any better for her, but you might want to give it a try.

My son is allergic to most sunscreens, too. We had an EXPENSIVE summer last year trying lots of different ones to see what worked. :) Here's what we found: There are several different active ingredients in sunscreens, and your daughter could be sensitive to any one (or more) of them. I'd pick a range of sunscreens with different active ingredients and test that way. Surprisingly, some of the more "sensitive" versions, were worse for him. We found that he has an extreme sensitivity to avebenzone, which is in many children's sunscreens. Then, he also doesn't tolerate high levels of homosalate, which is in many sunscreens at different levels. We found that the Banana Boat Baby (which *should* be more gentle) has 15% homosalate, and makes him break out (even though it doesn't have avebenzone. BUT, we found that the Banana Boat Kids (also tearfree, waterproof, hypoallergenic) only has 9% homosalate. That's what works for us. I'm sure there are others that might, but since we've had luck with that for both the boys, we stick with it. Oh--and the form makes a difference, too. We can't use continuous sprays, but are fine with the cream in a tube. A little less convenient, but much less stressful since we no longer break out. Good luck...I hope you can figure it out before beach season! :)

Hi T.,
sounds like you received a lot of good recommendations so far. Some referred to the chemicals found in sunscreens etc. If you go to www.cosmeticsdatabase.com, you can find out which sunscreens contain the least amount of chemicals. The sad thing is that even if a product claims to be "natural", "safe for babies" or "hypoallergenic", it does not mean that it does not contain any harmful chemicals. The FDA does not have any guidelines in place that controls what the product may or may not contain if these words are used on a cosmetics label. Unlike the USDA regulating the "organic" food labeling, a cosmetic may say it's made with "organic" ingredients and still contain chemicals. Here is a link where you can read more about this.
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/special/sunscreens/summa...

Nicole

Sunscreens actually have a lot chemicals in them so it is surprising everybody doesn't have some kind of reaction to them! I have heard UV naturals is the best.
Brekka

Check with the health food store in your area. Most times they have testers. As long as it's SPF 30, she should be fine and not get burnt. I use Alba from the health food store. I am a redhead with not only very fair skin but sensitive also. I can't even use most soaps cuz they give me hives.

My daughter has sensitive skin, too. We have had luck with the fragrance free California Baby 30SFP sunscreen. (not the regular one, which is scented and makes her break out)

I am also going to try Vanicream Sunscreen for sensitive skin. I haven't been able to find it in stores...it's made in Rochester, MN, and you should be able to find it online. We use their skin cream for the sensitive skin, and love it.

Arbonne's baby sunscreen is great and very gentle. If you'd like to try a sample, let me know!!

Have you asked your dermatologist or pediatrician to recommend a brand? They would probably be able to help. Good luck.

Hi T.-
I'm sure you already have gotten lots of responses (haven't checked), but I wanted to add one more. Arbonne makes a great sunscreen. It has SPF 30, is non-greasy, and has all of the great banefits of all the ARbonne products (hypoallegenic, pediatrician-tested, phBalanced, no mineral oils, no dyes perfumes or animal by-products...all of which could be a reason for your daughter's reactions to others). This is the first year I've used it, and am already in love with the product. It is great for my daughter who likes to rub her eyes...it doesn't sting and soaks in quickly. Let me know if you'd like to try a sample or order it...and as always Arbonne has a 45-day money back quarantee if it doesn't work.

A.
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Hi T.,

If you have tried several brnds already, it might be just the active ingredient that she is more sensitive to.

Melaleuca has some safe alternatives.

If you want to learn more let me know.

J.

Hi T.~
I am sure you have heard of Arbonne products. The Baby products are amazing and the sunscreen is made without any harsh or toxic chemicals. Please let me know if you have any questions.

T. Guyer

Hi T.,

My name is S. and I am a Arbonne International consultant. I am not sure if you heard of this line yet. It is a botanical based product line called ABC. I would love to send you a sample of the sunscreen to try.

Can you email and/or call me and let me know where I can send this sample to?

S. Bertolas
Arbonne International
###-###-####
____@____.com

I've heard great things about Arbonne baby care products...and they have a sunscreen.

Hi T.
Say- we have a sunscreen and I've never heard of anyone personally getting a reaction to it if you want to take a look.
You can go to http://www.mydietshop.org
Look up radiant C body lotion spf 15.
It's UVA and UVB but NOT waterproof.
You should be able to check out the label too to see if you can connect ingredients??
It's a great orange smell and not sticky or greasy- more like reg. body lotion.
We love it!
If you do decide to buy it- know it's a money back guarantee- you return the container and get your retail amount back (not the s/h/t) and I give momsource 10% discount too.

Email or call if you have questions and have a great holiday weekend.

B. J
verizon cell ###-###-####
____@____.com

Go to Mercola.com and type sunscreen in the search box and see what happens. I think you'll get a wealth of information by which to discern who's advice is best for your family.

My daughter and I are both allergic and our pharmacist recommended a product called Vanicream. You can only get it behind the counter at the drugstore and they might have to order it for you. It cost about $11.00 for a good sized tube and has no dyes, lanolin, fragrance, parabens, formaldehyde or other preservatives. I got mine at CVS so you could give them a call.

My kids have both exzema and allergies and we use Earth's Best Organic Sunblock. It's considered a "mechanical sunblock" because it uses titianium dioxide and zinc oxide instead of chemicals. It can make your kids a little ghostly looking and it's expensive but it works and it's totally worth the money. I am not sure where you live but I get mine at Valley Natural Foods.

The best advise I can give you is to let her go out and play but she has to wear a hat and let her swim with a long sleeve t-shirt to protect her from the sun. This is what I do with my son.
Hope this helps.
T.

I had the same problem with my son last year and his doc recommended Aveeno. So far he hasn't had any problems with it it's more expensive but totally worth it.

My 3 sons are very hypersensitive to chemicals and sunscreens, too. They get hives from almost anything. You will not believe the brand that works for us: the "Toys R Us" baby sunscreen, SPF of 45. Really.

My 16 month old has the same problem. I just started using Burts Bees new sunscreen which is SPF 30. It's chemical free and doesn't seem to bother her. It is also easy to find and not too expensive. It doesn't go on as easy as the others but it does work well in terms of sun protection.

Try Sunshades by Melaleuca. I have not had any problems with it. Maybe it will help you. There are also swimsuits that cover arms and legs and are sun blocking. Try Baby Center Store online for these. Good luck.

Try California Baby. It is chemical free and allergen free. I LOVE the stuff and use it on my 10 month old who has sensitive skin and allergies. They sell it at Whole Foods.

Wow have you had the responses!! Here is my advise I recommend Melaleuca they have a mineral sunscreen that you could try risk free for 60 days. Isn't it frustrating to try products and out of that money? I use all of there products and love it. Melaleuca is all natural and you save money. If you have any questions feel free to call me at ###-###-#### or go to my web site at www.freedomunitedteam.com/KH473

Thank you and good luck K.

Vanicream Sunscreen might do the trick. You should be able to just google it and order on-line. It was developed by a couple of former Mayo Clinic Physicians.

Check out www.melaleuca.com (take the guided tour) and then let me know if you want to try them out. Something as simple as switching your laundry system can be a huge help for her also. There are so many chemicals in products we use on a daily basis. The laundry system is loaded and it does not rinse out of our clothes. They have a mineral sunscreen that you could try risk free for 60 days. Isn't it frustrating to try products and out of that money? I experienced this also.

____@____.com

I just tried Supergoop for the first time this past weekend and wrote a long review of my positive experience! It's all organic (which is important with all of the hormone-altering chemicals in many children's lotions) and safe for the whole family...on both body and faces. It doesn't have a strong odor like some and goes on remarkably easy and smooth without staining clothes! If you want, you can read all about my thoughts on it here:

http://uggamugga.blogspot.com/2008/05/supergoop-super-sun...

Hi T.,

I have a red head who just turned 8 and she seems to do well with Neutrogena Ultra Sheer dry touch sunblock in spf 70. It is a little expensive but worth it. I have to use this tube like giant chapstick on her face that is pink with a bright pink lid, I just can't find it now to tell you the name of it. She says everything else stings. The Neutrogena stuff will rub off tho so I don't put it on until we get where we are going. It got all over the black leather on the car that was just a few months old and did not just wipe off. Hope this helps.

L.

Arbonne makes products that are botanically based and hypo-allergenic. I highly recommend thier baby sunscreen. Not only does it provide excellent coverage against UVA and UVB rays, it does not contain any chemical dyes or fragrances that would irritate your daughter's skin.

All products can be viewed at www.arbonne.com.

I could get you a sample, so you could patch test the product on your daughter before buying. Please let me know if I can help.

M.

Hi T.,
Try Arbonne baby products for her. They are very gentle and don't contain many of the harmful chemicals that most product lines do. There is a sunscreen (my sister just got one for her 2.5 yr-old and loves it) and other needed items including wash and lotion. Call me if you are not familiar with Arbonne and need to know how to get it. ###-###-####.

A lot of the infant sunscreens are hypoallergenic. Are you sure it's not heat rash?

I don't know if this will help, but have you tried a sunscreen w/out vitamin E in it? I had a problem with sunscreen when I was little also and it turned out that I was just allergic to vitamin E. Good luck and happy hunting!!!

Contact your Mary Kay rep. We have sunscreen spf 30. It is clinically tested for skin allergy and skin irritancy, also oil free, waterproof and sweat proof, dermatologist tested. I have always used MK products and trust and love this brand. I am a consultant. The great thing about MK is that if you for any reason do not like the product you get a full refund!!! Then you do not have to keep buying all kinds of lotions from target that you just can not return. If you do not have a consultant you can contact me for help. www.marykay.com/L..minnema I have three kids 10, 4, and almost 3 and they have never had a problem with any of our lotions, although my youngest breaks out from anything else on her little bottom. I hope you find something that works:)

My son just had his first reaction to sun screen three days ago. It was the same brand we used last year and he did fine, however not this year. I have since bought aveno baby sunscreen and that works well for him with no breakouts. It is quite spendy.

I had the same problem with my daughter, so I asked my dermatologist. She said it was probably the chemicals of the active ingredients irritating her skin. She recommended any sunscreen where the active ingredient is: TITANIUM DIOXIDE. This doesn't soak into there skin and it doesn't irritate. She recommended using Neutrogena "Sensitive Skin Sunblock Lotion" SBF 30. (White and blue bottle). It isn't a "Kid's Lotion" but it doesn't matter. This is much better for them. It is sad, but I have looked at every single baby/kid's lotion at Walmart or Target and I haven't found one that doesn't have the irritating chemicals in it. Neutrogena is the only one at Walmart, Walgreens, Target, that has Titanium Dioxide as the active ingredient. I would try a health/organic store too, they usually have a better selection of the "good" sunblocks. Whole Foods had a much better variety to choose from, and they had baby lotions with titanium dioxide, yet they were more expensive, so I just stayed with Neutrogena. Anyways, since my dermatologist told me this and I changed lotions; I haven't seen any hives on my daughter. And I know I am making a better/ healthier choice for her skin and my other children's skin. I wish more parents knew how harmful some of the chemicals are in most of the sunblocks out there.

there are several products out there. I can't find the bottle I needed to use one year due to very dry, sensitive skin but think it was made but Nutragena. No perfumes or dyes and very mild yet great UV protection. Doctors and pharmacists are also great resources for recommendations for specialty products.

look into a product called Colorscience. They make a clear powder product (bluish tube) that my derm. directed me to. It's expense, but lasts and is waterproof. I use on my kids (1 & 5) and it works GREAT. I was skeptical. But my son was in the pool for hours in Florida and he is very fair and never burned.

I have found this website to be helpful when searching for products (based on their safety). Perhaps it will help you in your quest for a better sunscreen.

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/

Good luck!