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When Sunshine Doesn't Make Baby Happy
Treating and Comforting a Sunburned Little One
By Laura Cone
Dr. Huggins also recommends giving babies a cool bath and applying cool compresses to burned areas. While applying a moisturizer helps, she advises parents to avoid Benadryl or benzocaine products because they can irritate the skin.
"If there are blisters, don't pop them," Dr. Huggins says. "As long as the blister is intact, the burn underneath is sterile. Once they're popped, the area is open to infection."
Dr. Huggins says parents will need to take their child to a doctor immediately if the child has symptoms of heat stress such as fever, chills, nausea or vomiting. "If the sunburn is severe, with many areas of blistering, the child needs to be evaluated by a physician because, as with any second-degree burn (and that's what a blistering sunburn is), the child can easily get dehydrated because of the oozing associated with burns," she says.
"It is estimated that 60 to 80 percent of total lifetime sun exposure occurs in the first 18 years of life," Dr. Huggins says. "It's one of the reasons that sun protection should begin at birth and continue for life, especially in children with fair skin and freckles. Though the initial risk of developing melanoma is rare, it doubles with a history of having had a bad sunburn. The more sunburn, the higher the risk."
Dr. Amy Wechsler, spokesperson for the Skin Cancer Foundation, also says blistering sunburns significantly increase child's risk of skin cancer. She says a non-blistering sunburn may also cause more moles and sunspots, which are unattractive.
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