Help---daughter Allergic to Sunscreen

I have found that BLue Lizard sensitive works best for me. I have tried every sunscreen under the sun, and this is the Only one that didn't break me out!

My kids are very fair and I just didn't want to hassle with sunscreen so I got them sun/swim suits with sun protection in the fabric. Coolibar (www.coolibar.com) has really cute, full-body (long sleeves & legs) for babies and kids. Also, BRU & Target is selling sun protective swim outfits.

I too have reactions to sunscreens. I now use the ARbonne "Before Sun" line and love it! Have you tried the Arbonne Baby Care sunscreen? I can send you a free sample to try?
D.

Hi K.!

Not sure if you've ever tried, or wanted to try, "All Natural" products. My daughter and husband have extremely sensitive skin, and since I've started buying all natural products from this fantastic company, their skin is SO MUCH better. They have sun screen, laundry detergent, cleaners, you name it. Just an idea, since your daughter's skin is so sensitive. If you'd like to find out about these products, feel free to contact me at ____@____.com

Hi K.,

I use a product that is a patented micro-fine zinc oxide.(It rubs on clear.) It's from a company that manufactures non-toxic products that uses supplement strength vitamins and gentler ingredients. I use to break out with a bumpy rash under the skin with other sunscreens but this one works for me. The link is
http://www.melaleuca.com/ps/index.cfm?f=ps.productDetail&...

There is a description, a product ingredient list so you can compare it to what you have and also there is a video on that same page that explains the way it works. It's from a membership club that works by referrals so you have to know someone to shop there. If you're interested let me know.

Regards,

M.

Before we started our magazine, I sold Arbonne for a while. I do not any longer, but I had several people tell me that it was the only kind that they could use. If you find a consultant, you could ask her for the baby sample pack to see if it works before you buy the bottle. The sample pack has several other products in it. I still use their baby shampoo on my 7 and 4 year olds. I never could understand why they would cry and say that their eyes were burning when I used other 'tear free' shampoos. I later learned that most 'tear free' shampoos have a numbing agent in them! I was furious. How can companys do this without having it listed as such on the label? I told my sons that the Arbonne would not burn their eyes. When my 7 year old asked me if I was sure, I decided to check for myself before I used it on them. I put some on my finger and put it in my eye (I was not about to lie to my son, even unknowingly) and there was no irritation at all- it just made my vision cloudy for a second since I stuck gel in my eye. I know that you asked about the sunscreen, but I am very upset that businesses can put that kind of chemical in children's products and they only have to list it by it's name in the ingredients. I began looking up chemical names on all health and beauty products in Google. Try it when you have a minute sometime. I ended up throwing away alot of lip protectants and shampoos. I was glad that I don't wear lipstick. If you do some research, you will see that Arbonne is completely safe. You can get an account for a very small fee and then you can purchase their products for yourself at 35% off. I am not trying to sell you anything, just trying to be helpful. Have a great weekend!

have you tried the zinc that life guards apply to their noses?
also spf safe clothing is much safer than any sunscreen on the market. i believe that to test the protection factor of clothing you just have to hold it up to the sun to see if sunlight permeates the material- good luck, sorry for your troubles.
i would also talk to a dermatologist- there is probably a specific ingredient in the sunscreens that your child is having a reaction to. PABA is an alergen to many individuals.
Good Luck.

Hey Kelley! I feel your pain, both my kids are sensitive to sunscreen. Not to mention I hate how traditional sunscreen smell is so strong it stays in clothes even after washing. Our dermatologist recommended Vanicream. It is available in the small local pharmacies. I love it even for myself because it is free of all the yucky stuff and perfume free. Hope this helps.
J.

Dear K., Have you tried any of the Neutrogena sunscreens? Some of them use titanium dioxide in place of the chemicals. My dermatologist recommended them to me when my skin was very sensitive following a skin cancer treatment which leaves you with brand new skin. Also, make sure you read the ingredients label so you can learn which chemicals may be giving the problem and avoid them.

Hi K.,

I have a wonderful natural sunscreen that is nut free and animal free. It's actually vegan certified. Most OTC sunscreens have fragrance and mineral oils in them. Mine is fragrance/chemical free. Let me know if you want to try it, there is 45 day back guarantee and it lasts a long time! I use it on my 4 month old and my 3 yo. All my friends use it on their kids too.
Hope to help your little one,
K.

have you tried Aveeno Baby Sunscreen? my son also would break out with all types of sunscreen except for that one. you might also consider asking a dermatologist for a suggestion.

Hi...

Try Clinique. It worked for my grandchildren who were sensitive to regular sun screens.

K.,

not sure where you live in town, but I buy our sunscreen at Return to Eden (they just reopened). Burts Bees makes a line that is all natural, but a local health food store has even more options. Also, Whole foods probably carries some if that is more convenient for you. Good luck!

Aubrey Organics, check them out. Personally I can't use the one with titanium dioxide, but I can use the others. Most people can use them all. They make one just for kids.

California baby offers a very gentle line of all products, including sunscreen. I use their shampoo and detangler on my daughter who also has very sensitive skin. They are WONDERFUL products. Some Publix's carry them but you can also order from their website, you'll have to search it. I think its californiababy.com but i'm not sure.
Good luck!

My son has this, too. We have had good luck with the clear aerosol spray sunscreens and some sunscreens that say "paba free." I read somewhere that it's usually the paba that most people react to. I'm not sure why the clear sprays (NOT lotion spray) work, but they do for him! One note - be sure you tell her school and friends' parents about it. My son has had others apply the "wrong" sunscreen a couple of times, and, of course, after just one application, broke out!
Good luck!

I have no idea if this will help at all, but here's a suggestion. When I went to the dermatologist last week, I asked her about sunscreen for my children. She said that sunscreen is not recommended for children 2 and under and that her son is 10 and she does not use any traditional sunscreen on him either. The reason is that the sunscreens you can buy at walmart or wherever are chemical blockers, and the chemicals soak into the children's skin as if they are little sponges. She recommended a physical blocker sunscreen so i got skinceuticals (sold at her office) and she said that was gentle enough even for my newborn. I have a friend with a son who has excema and she also uses a physical blocker on him. I think it's called Blue Lizard and i think you can find it at CVS. I hope this helps!

My daughter has a "photosensitive" reaction to one of the ingredients in most sunscreens: Oxybenzone. She would get hives when she went out in the sun...not exactly what you want a sunscreen to do!

We started using Neutrogena Sensitive Skin, and haven't had any problems since.

K.-

I found some sunscreen for children at Whole Foods that is "all natural." I have not tried it yet on my kids as we have not needed it yet but it would definitely be worth it for you to try if nothing else is working for her. I cannot remember the name of the sunscreen but it is in the vitamins/toiletries section at Whole Foods. Hope this helps!

This has not happened to either of my children but I am allergic to some sunscreens (and other lotions) and break out in a red, itchy rash. I narrowed the ingredient down to I think guava which is what I am allergic to. You might try a healh food store for sunscreens--if you have a good one in the area, the store owner should be able to guide you to a natural product that she might tolerate.

K.,
I have not used it yet but I did notice in Babies R Us that Aveeno makes a sunscreen. Their bath products are very good for sensitive skin so you might try that.
R.

I don't know if this sunscreen would be good for sensitive skin, but my sister-in-laws dermatologist reccommended blue lizard. She said you could find it at any major drug store. Hope this helps!! C.

I just bought California Baby sunscreen for my children. It's chemical and fragrance-free. It's made especially for babies, children and sensitive adults. It's on the pricey side, $15 for 2.9 oz at Target, but I was looking for a product that doesn't have any parabens and this was one of very few options for babies/kids.

Good luck!
T.

My daughter is super sensitive too and very fair. Per doctor recommendations we tried Neutragena Sensitive Skin 30 SPF. It didn't work for us, but might be worth a try. All the baby sunscreens are too intense since the SPF is outragously high. Don't go for SPF over 30, and apply with more frequently. The higher SPF doesn't matter in regards to reapplying less often, I'm sure drs told you. We finally seemed to have some success with a generic Target brand which is similar to Banana Boat 30 SPF PABA FREE. It think the Paba free is key for our daughter.
Good luck with experimenting. I know it can be annoying and expensive. I've also heard there is a brand of PABA FREE baby sunscreen at most BabiesRUS stores. We have yet to try it.

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/splash.php?URI=%2Findex.php
this is Skindeep.com, you can find sunscreens rated by how safe the product is to the skin. I'd find some of the most harmless and try those. Burt's bees just came out with a chemical free sunblock. It's expensive but so far has worked on my redheaded husband and fair skinned sun.

Hey K.==this is M.. Have you ever heard of Arbonne? It is a health, wellness, and skincare company. I am an Arbonne consultant-----they have a baby sunscreen---it is all natural, contains no animal fat or animal by-products---it would be very safe for your child to use----go to arbonne.com>products>baby--------I will be glad to talk with you more about this and get some ordered......email me back at ____@____.com and we will see if I can help you with that precious child! Have a great day! By the way, I am in Douglas, Ga. right now but moving to St Simons Island, Ga in less than 5 weeks. M.

When I was younger, my mom thought I was allergic to sunscreen and we tried all kinds. I did do better with sensitive and non sport sunscreens. The best I have found is Mary Kay sunscreen. It turns out that I am not really allergic to the sunscreen, I have a reaction to the sun. After I have been in the sun for a couple of days in a row I begin to break out into a rash that begins on my chest and spreads to my arms. I either just endure it or take a break from the sun. The sunscreen I use does determine how soon I begin to break out and the non sensitive sunscreen begins to burn my rash. This may not be the case for your daughter but it is just another thought. I realized this when I began breaking out into the rash even when I wasn't wearing sunscreen.

I do not know of any extra sensitive sunscreen, but I do know that you can avoid sunscreen use, almost completely, by using SPF clothing, hats, and coverups. There are lots of websites to shop around for pricing, but here are a couple for some info.
www.solartex.com
www.skincancer.org
Good luck!

Try ordering some from california baby. The company was formed by a mom who couldn't find any natural chemical free products for her kids. It's great stuff. If she can't tolerate the unscented spf 30 from there she can't tolerate anything.

I use Jurlique sun lotion (spf 30) on myself and my daughters who also have sensitive skin. It is expensive, but works great. We are all more sensitive on our faces, so I usually just put it on there and use a different, less expensive product on our bodies. All the other sunscreens I choose are fragrance free...the kid formulas broke my kids skin out too.

My son also has very sensitive skin and he would just scream when we put on suncreens, even the ones for babies would make his skin sting. So I found the one from Merle Norman make-up and skin products was the only one that would work for him.

You can get California Baby at almost any store now and I've heard it's really great and it's supposedly all natural.

Try anything, but Coppertone. My brother was always allergic to that brand.

Here's a thought. I've had no experience with this but my youngest has sensitive skin and gets rashes sometimes. We've always used Lavera or California Baby sunscreen with him. They are both completely non-toxic unlike most sunscreens which use ingredients linked to cancer.....(wake-up America!). You can get California Baby at Whole Foods and maybe at EarthFare. Lavera I always had to order on-line. I also know 2 dermatologists that sell sunscreen. Perhaps one of them can help. Let me know if you want their info.

Good Luck!

E.

Hi K.!

I work for a wellness company. We offer products that are great for children with skin sensitivities. I'd love to share more with you. Call me at ###-###-####.

M.