When baby’s skin turns red and feels hot to the touch even after all your effort to cool him/her down isn’t working that is when you’d know that your baby is suffering from sunburn. Blisters and even swollenness on the baby’s skin along with peeling of the skin in blotches would indicate severe sunburn. Aftereffects would include your baby coming down with a fever, looking pale and weak as an effect of dehydration and dizziness.
Over exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays causes sunburn. Remember, this excessive exposure doesn’t necessarily happen only in hot weather or during the summer. Sunburns occur due to over exposure to the sun’s rays at any time; winter, summer, fall. It also happens as a result of the sun’s rays being reflected off water, snow and even sand.
Serious cases of sunburn cause severe pain and fever and heart strokes have not been ruled out as a result of sunburn in the most severe of cases.
Best remedies for sunburn
To battle dehydration, ensure that your child drinks ample quantities of fluids. Breast milk, formula or water does the trick with infants. However, keep away the option of chilled water as it have adverse effects if drank immediately by children.
Should your child develop a fever easing the pain with infant Paracetamol suspension such as Calpol would be a good relief remedy.
As the burn starts peeling away the skin begins to itch. Aloe Vera gel, calamine lotion or any water-based moisturizing lotion should be applied over the itching area.
Soaking the sunburned area by placing a cloth nappy, muslin square or flannel which has been dipped into cool water and wrung out on the affected area does have a soothing effect on the skin. This process should be done for a period of anywhere from 10-to-15-minues and repeated over a few times daily. Don’t forget to keep your child warm while doing this. Adding a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda, which serves to soothe the skin, into your baby’s bath and letting your baby soak into a bath is another option available.
Don’ts
What you do not want to be caught doing is applying ice, ice water on the sunburned area or washing it out with soap as soap will only end up irritating the skin even more.
Any sprays or ointments or other that contains benzocaine should be avoided as they can cause allergic reactions and irritation.
What can worsen sunburn even more instead of being a help is the use of petroleum based products like Vaseline to rub over the burnt area. This only ends up worsening the burn instead as it blocks any heat and seat from escaping.
A natural aftermath of sunburn is when the skin begins to peel away after about three to ten days and this should not scare you. Instead allow this natural healing process to begin and take its own course. Just ensure that your child is kept in the shade as he/she heals. Loose cotton clothing works wonders in minimizing irritation to the skin which is now at its most sensitive stage of the burn.
When is a pediatrician needed?
Do not hesitate to contact a pediatrician should you have any lingering concerns or worries as sunburn, especially in babies can be more serious than appears.
Blisters on your baby’s sunburn within the first 24 hours after being sunburned could indicate a potential second degree burn and a pediatrician services should be sought immediately.
Dressing over the burn by a pediatrician in the case of fluid filled blisters would be the most sensible idea instead of trying to pop or cover them up, which is a recipe for infection.
Seek immediate help should your baby start vomiting or even loose consciousness.
How big a deal is skin damage from the sun?
A big deal! Exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet radiation is the leading cause for all kinds of skin cancer. Some studies have further indicated that melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, could have some traces of its origin from severe sunburn suffered during childhood. And then there is the fact that a child’s first 18 years are spent with about 80% exposure of his/her skin to the sun.
Preventions
It’s actually surprisingly easy to avoid sunburn. The regular use of a sufficient amount of sunscreen and avoidance of over exposing your baby to the sun are the best tricks to prevention of sunburn.
Keep in mind that the harmful ultraviolet rays are strongest between 11am and 3pm. Keeping out of the sun as much as possible during this time would be a sensible idea and even if situations arise necessitating a walk under the sun during these times, the use of wide brimmed hats, long pants, full sleeved shirts work in blocking direct exposure to the sun’s rays.