Sunscreen

Dear Lisa,

My son is four months old and I am worried about sun exposure this summer. Can he use sunscreen?

“Preventing sunburn in babies”

Dear “Preventing sunburns in babies”,

It is recommended that children 6 months old and older have frequent applications of a sunscreen with an SPF greater than 30. (1) Specifically, reapplication should be done after water exposure. It is best for children under 6 months to be kept out of direct sunlight and to wear protective clothing. Particular attention should be paid to the head, forehead and face of infants which can easily burn and should be protected with a large brimmed hat.

If there is no way to keep an infant under 6 months out of the sun, then it is okay to put sunscreen on their exposed body parts, sparing the eye area. Prevention of sunburns in children is of paramount importance since half of a person’s total lifetime sun exposure occurs before 18 years old. In addition, Sun exposure causes more than 90% of all skin cancers. (2)

It is a good idea for caretakers to avoid wearing jewelry or watches when handling infants outdoors in the sun. When metal jewelry is exposed to sunlight for a length of time it can become hot enough to cause a burn if accidentally pressed against an infant’s bare skin. Those at risk for developing skin cancer include white race, fair skin, blond/red hair, light eyes, freckling, history of sunburns, melanocytic nevi, family history of melanoma and immunosuppresion.(3) Therefore , if your infant has any of these risk factors it would be prudent to keep him out of the sun.

(1)Tuchman, M., Weinberg, J. Why everyone’s skin needs to be examined. The Clinical Advisor. 2006(February); 33-38.
(2) Grassia, T. The earlier, the better for skin cancer prevention. Infectious Diseases in Children. 2006(May):56.
(3)Richards, C. Pediatric melanoma rates increasing. Infectious Diseases in Children. 2006(May):54.

Lisa Kelly R.N., P.N.P.,C.
Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

Pediatric Advice for Healthy Kids