Sunscreen Reaction

Hello J., my daughter has very fair skin and very sensative she is a red head. The first time I put sunblock on her she swelled up lips and all and was drooling because they were so bad. So being my first child I called the doc and he told me to not put it on her face the next time so I did that but when she had it on her arms she would wipe her face and then get the reaction, so we went to the doc and she is allergic to PABA in the sunblock so I had to find a PABA free sunblock. The one that started the reaction was water babies and I have not used it again on any of my children. I used Banana Boat for the past 3 years with no bad reactions. I also have her wear hats since I don't apply to face and the water shirts are great... Good luck.

Hi,
My son who is now 9 had a reaction to sunscreen when he was 6 months old and continually until I finally found a sunscreen that worked. The doctor's advice was too keep trying sunscreen until he didn't have a reaction as there was no way to know what ingredient was causing the problem. None of the "baby" sunscreens worked. The only sunscreen that he can wear is Neutrogena - even to this day if I grab some other sunscreen he will get hives. Neutrogena worked for us.

My nephew is allergic to sunblock and the only kind he can use is Blue Lizard. It is a chemical free sunblock that seems to work really well. Good luck!!

Hi J.,
My three boys all have reactions to sunblock. I have tried many different types including all of the sensitive skin formulas. Believe it or not, I found the only thing that didn't cause a reaction was the NO-AD or Target brand. Something about the generic brands seem to work. I also always make sure they have a bath before bed if they have had sunblock on that day. I think they sell the No-Ad at Walmart and Market Basket.

My son was also very sensitive to sunscreens and we found that the No-Ad had none of that fancy stuff and he did well with that - just FYI.

My mom actually had this problem. She had to find sunscreens that did not have an oil in them.

Hi J.,
Try Arbonne ABC Suncreen spf 30. I guarentee it will keep your daugther protected and she will not have any reaction! It's pure, safe and beneficial. Key ingredients...Oat, aloe and shea butter oils. You can get more info at my website...www.kellymcinnis.myarbonne.com I'm running a Mother's Day special for Mamasource clients that ends tomorrow 50% off all products. Contact me if you'd like more info.
Have a great day.
K.

My daughter also had a reaction to a sunscreen, just on her face. (I think it was Water Babies, the one that comes in the pink bottle.) It was one I had not used on her this season. We have now switched back to using Aveeno sunscreen, with no reaction. You might ask your doctor for suggestions. They make some that you may have to special order, that only have the active ingredients so you know exactly what's in there. Best of luck.

My daughter who is 6, had a similar reaction to her face and arms where I applied the sunblock, she even had a bath before bed, when she woke up and her skin was red puffy, splotches and bumps. I was really shocked b/c it was supposed to be an all organic, natural mineral sunblock, hypo-allergenic, paraben free. After reading the ingredients I have come to think it is the sodium Benzoate. My daughter can not eat food with this preservative or she gets red blotches around her mouth. I never thought it would be in organic products as a preservative. So beware if you child has an allergy to certain sunblocks with sodium benzoate it may be this ingredient.

hmm.. my dd is 16 months, and she also just had a swollen red splotchy face reaction after our using sunblock all last weekend, same thing, no rx on her arms, but a lot on her face... how to we not use sunblock??

Same thing happened to me with my son and daughter. My son was fine for 2 years then when he was 2 1/2 he suddenly broke out with a rash on his face and neck. I tried every baby sunblock, adult sensitive creams and nothing worked or it seemed like they did for a few times then suddenly the rash would start up again. I now use Vanicream Sport SPF 35. You have to get it from the pharmacist but you do not need a perscription they ususally have to order it. I just found out they just came out with a SPF 60 (but I'm not sure if it is waterproof) I'm going to try it this year. Both of my kids responded well with this and even thought the SPF is 35 they don't have any tan lines. I also now use rash guards (swim T's) on both of them to help protect them. I also have to watch out for chap sticks with SPF b/c I don't want them to get it in their mouths and swell up. Also some childrens hair salons use gels, hairsprays and other products that have SPF in it that I need to watch out for. I found out the hard way when my son got a rash around his hair line and ears after playing and sweating after getting a hair cut. I also use it now b/c I'm afraid that my sunscreen will wipe off onto them and cause a reaction.
Here is a link to cvs.com that has it

http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/cvs/gateway/search?ActiveCat=49...

Hope this helps and please let me know if you have any questions or find anything else that works. Sorry for being so winded but I've been through so much with this issue and none of my other friends or family have.

I use to have this same problem when I was younger with certain sunscreens. i am allergic to the PABA that are in some sunscreens. The one that I found worked the best for me was Panama Jack. Good luck

Hi there,

I use UV Naturals Sunscreen from www.katescaringgifts.com
It's all natural but works very well. We've never had any reactions.

J.

Hi J.!
Try Nutrogena (sensitive skin)my girls both get red and puffy with most baby sunscreen-but this one seems to not bother them a bit.Good Luck!

Hi there,
I have very sensitive skin and so does my 3 year old daughter. About 10 years ago or so, out of the blue one summer, I started having the same reaction to sun and sunscreen. After a couple hours outside on a sunny day, whether I used sunscreen and even if I did NOT, I would wake up the next morning with irritated SWOLLEN eye lids and the same itchy, irritation on the inside of my elbows. It seems to be an allergic reaction to the sun. It even happened when I went tanning (which I no longer do anymore). In any case, I found a sunscreen by Neutrogena that has no dyes or perfumes. (I am not at home typing this so I cant remember the exact name, but its in the same white with light blue packaging they use for most all their products.) Whenever I plan to be outside more than 30 minutes during the summer months, I've made sure to massage a light coat of it onto my eyelids and above my lip, as well as the inside of my arms...all the sensitive areas. On my daughter, I put it all over. Whenever I have done this, 99% of the time I've had no reaction. If I use anything else, I break out that night or the next morning. I truly think it was a combination of the sudden onset of a sun allergy and also the fragrances that are in most sunblocks. So if you can't find the Neutrogena sensitive skin sunscreen, try something else that is fragrance free. That's just my story, jsut hoping you can take something from it. GOOD LUCK, I feel for your little one!! P.S. I know that, everyone is different, but I tried 3 Arbonne products on my daughter on the recommendation of a friend and my daughter complained that EACH one made her skin feel "Burning"!!! So if your little one has REALLY sensitive skin, you might want to avoid their stuff. GOOD LUCK!

I asked our pediatrician about what he would prefer our girls wear. I was just diagnosed (at 33 years old) with malignant invasive melanoma, and I do NOT want my girls to have to deal with this someday. He would prefer they use Neutrogena with helioplex. Its better for them and has more ability to block all UVA and UVB. Good luck!

K.

Yep! I can only use Banana Boat on my son. My nephew is the same way, can only use a certain type. Kiss my face is a great brand...not sure if they have sunblock, but I'd check them out first.

Yes, my kids and I both have very sensitive skin. There are natural sunscreen products out there that only contain truly "natural ingredients". Here's a link that explains why your little girl is probably getting a reaction as well as a really great product that has worked for us:
http://products.mercola.com/summer-survival-kit/
The sunscreen is at the bottom of the page.
Most commercial sunscreens actually have toxic ingredients in them! Hope this helps - S.

hi,i had the same problem when my daughter was around 2,she also has very fair skin,but not sensitive.only her face would get very red and splotchy.i finally figured out that she was rubbing her eyes after i put the sunscreen on and i think that caused the reaction.she is now 4 and i havent experienced this problem in a long time.have a look the next time and see if she starts rubbing her eyes,it might be the same thing.hope this helps

hi J. the higher the spf the more chemicals that are in the sun block. the more chance you have for a reaction.I would suggest you try a sample of abc arbonne baby sunscreen all my children are fair blondes and have senstive skin..... if you would like a sample just email me ____@____.com or go to my website www.myurbeautiful.myarbonne.com and check out the company and other products that are available. mother of 4 ages 13 11 8 and 1 and running a home based business. warmly, K. D

Hey J.,
I just went to our doctor about my 22 month old with the same issue, only my son also has eczema. He suggested No AD and Aveeno 45. He says all Aveeno products are great though they are more expensive and it sounds crazy that No AD would be good but actually they are more pure formulas with less irritants. Oh for all sunscreens make sure they are rubbed in well and applied early before your outside and reapply often. I tried Baby Aveeno 55 and it seems okay, but it leaves a white film on his face so we will be trying the others soon.
L.

Hi there,

Both of my kids have had similar reactions to sunscreen. My son (now 4) has outgrown it but my 1 year old gets a very puffy face if I use anything but Aveeno number 45. It is a little more expensive but it smells great and is totally worth it.

Good luck!

My son has numerous alergic reactions to sunscreens. I haven't been able to pinpoint what ingredient he is allergic to but I now know never to use any sunscreen with the word "sport" on it! Something in that triggers his sensitive skin. He gets hives that last for three days, itchy red bumps all over his face. I have tried sunscrens that say " as gentle as water" and other formulated fr babies, still he gets the reaction. Only one sunscreen works for us and that is "No Ad" You can find it at Walgreens and other pharmacies. Hope this helps.

I am an Independent Consultant with Arbonne International... we have products that are botanically based with out the use of nuts. I would love to send you a FREE sample of our sunscreen for you to try on your little one. Let me know if you are interested. Also ... we do not have artificial fragrances or chemicals.
Pam

Hi J. -

It sounds like your daughter may have a reaction to sunscreen and or heat. Some people get a red and blotchy face when they get hot. What I would do first is try not putting sunscreen on her face for one day - to see if her skin still has the reaction. This will tell you that her skin is just sensitive to heat. In this case, you can use a cool face cloth on your daughter's face.

If she has no reaction. I would continue to try different brands of sunscreen (Aubrey Organics has no scent and is all organic). If this doesn't work - it is possible that your daughter is allergic to sunscreen - which is not unusual (I can't use sunscreen on my face). What I do is wear hats and caps when I am outside. You could also check with a dermatologist to see if there are any other things that they could recommend.