Hi folks,
My toddler daughter has been sun exposed at home & abroad with off the shelf suncreams applied for her first couple of years with no problems. This year however she has broken out in bad all-over rashes (arms, legs & face) which are quite red, itchy and somewhat rough. If it had happened slowly over months I'd think it was eczema but it comes on overnight following exposure and subsides over about a week. During this time she has had sun exposure minus any cream and it does not happen also I've applied cream in a 'test area' overnight and still no problem. So it's quite difficult to pin the problem down specifically! Any suggestions about chemical free lotions or indeed other thoughts?
RE: Heat rash or sun cream allergy?
Hi there
My son is exactly the same - poor thing! He is also like this with biological washing powder.
I tried last year a sun cream from a health food shop, I can't remember the name of it but it was a dark blue bottle and contained nothing harmful only natural ingredients, but wasn't cheap!
It worked really well, I just wish I could remember the name!
I know of several children who also have the same reaction the day after applying the cream, so we aren't alone! This weekend we were out at a carnival and it was blazing hot so I was forced to buy some Ambre Solaire factor 50 from a chemist and hey presto! My son is red, rough skinned and it is also very hot to touch! He scratches it all the time.:(
I give him an antihistimine and calamine and a mental note to never touch the stuff again!
HTH
Sky x:)
RE: Heat rash or sun cream allergy?
Thanks Skyrocket,
It's obviously very much the same thing as you mentioned since the affected areas get very hot which is a symptom that I had not originally included but does happen as well. Good post! I shall keep a look out for the magical blue bottle.
I have been told by a chemist that if you apply a liberal amount of a moisturiser first and then sun cream then that can help. The principle being, I believe, that the cream sits on top of the moisturiser which acts as a barrier. May be worth a try whenever we are stuck like you were and forced to use the off-the-shelf stuff.
Thanks again.
RE: Heat rash or sun cream allergy?
A bit of an update for anyone experiencing the same problem. The other day I tried putting an E45 moisturiser on my girl first and then, after letting it soak in for 20 minutes, put her on some ambre solaire oil (factor 15) as opposed to a cream. It seems to have worked, no rash, no itching, no heat!
RE: Heat rash or sun cream allergy?
It was a problem I had - and I was advised by more than one medical person (My GP and also my cousin who is a nurse said similar) that if you use E45 in any form, you have to be extra careful in the sun because of the way it reacts to the skins surface it can leave your skin even more exposed to the rays apparently.
I was told to hunt out a natural alternative and have found Body Shop products to be excellent without being hugely expensive. I haven't suffered with allergy rash with the sunblock they produce.
Hope this helps.
RE: Heat rash or sun cream allergy?
There is one ingredient in suncreams that more and more people are becoming allergic to and is often mistaken for a heat rash as some people do not get the reaction until they actually expose themselves to the sun with the cream on. My grandson suffers and it is extremely difficult to find creams without this ingredient - even more difficult as they always print the ingredientd in minute writing - the ingredient to look out for is this - Butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane - I suggest you find a cream without this and I am confident problem will be solved.
Kanedmamma
RE: Heat rash or sun cream allergy?
It might be contact dermatitis. Over exposure to certain ingredients. A lot of cosmetic products contain lanolin which you will find most people have some reaction to. But it's usually so low in cosmetic products that it only effects people with sensitive skin. Lanolin is what keeps sheeps wool from matting... ever had an itchy jumper? it's the lanolin!
You've probably tried this but try using something for sensitive skin or specifically for kids.
Or apply safflower oil underneath the lotion. This will guard the skin against the effects of the suncream and also has further UV protection properties. But you should be really careful about applying oil to any sensitive skin and then exposing it to the sun. So it's perhaps not a good idea for a kid.
