Sunscreen for Excema

Updated on March 19, 2009
M.B. asks from Ballwin, MO
23 answers

Hi Ladies!
I was just wondering if anyone knows of good sunscreen to use on a child with excema? Its already starting to stress me out. My daughters excema is nonexistant until it gets warm out and she gets hot. We had a HORRIBLE experience last summer and I am trying to get a head start on it before it gets bad. I wanted to take her to the park but I know she needs sunscreen and want to use one that wont make her break out like crazy. We tried Aveeno Baby Sunscreen last year and it didnt help. I dont know if it was the sunscreen or just the heat that made it crazy.....but anyways, again, just wondering if there is "special" sunscreen for excema? Thanks! ;)

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So What Happened?

Thank you ladies SO much. I have so many things to try, and I didnt know about any of them! I have Arbonne baby sunscreen on the way! My friend sells it. BUT this Vanicream, Im interested in trying it but its like $17 for 4 oz! I wonder if our dermatologist can give us samples? I have way more suggestions so it will just be trial and error. Im just trying to stay on top of it before it gets bad. I almost took her to the hospital last year! I plan to make an appointment with her dermatologist before it gets bad so we can stay on top of it. Sometimes I even wonder if it even is excema since it only happens in the summer. She has dry skin in the winter and her skin is as clear as can be. I just wish I had a better answer! But thanks so much, I wasnt aware of all that was out there!

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S.M.

answers from St. Louis on

Any sunscreen will work-use the highest number you can go is best and OFTEN! The younger the child and the more extreme her condition the more you put it on her-every 15-20 minutes is good. I like to bring a spritzer bottle with water to keep my daughter cooler this helps but remember to use the sunscreen too. There is a company called Sunbrella that produces really neat clothing for the sun stressed people-hats, pants, shirts, kids and adults. I bought my daughter a scarf to wrap around her head or neck as she needed it and she used it all the time. This clothing is good for a cooler wearing too. It is expensive but it works.

1 mom found this helpful
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D.F.

answers from Kansas City on

My son uses Vanicream sunscreen and has not had any problems. You have to get it online, because walmart and walgreens will not special order anymore.
Suzanne

1 mom found this helpful

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K.M.

answers from St. Louis on

My daughter had HORRIBLE excema when she was younger (she still has it, just not bad anymore.) My advice would be to ask her dermatologist for recommendations. Or just try to find one yourself by trial and error. I always used the very high spf "baby" formulas on my girl. Most of them did not cause a reaction. MOST of them.

I sympathize with you on this, it's horrible, and I'm not sure if my daughter just finally grew out of it or if it was the different vitamins I finally started giving her, but whatever happened I am so happy she has normal skin now and people aren't afraid of her anymore! (Yes, she actually scared some people - adults!) If you're interested in trying the vitamins send me a message and I'll let you know what kind they are. She still takes them -- sometimes I get out of the habit though and her skin will break out a little, then I get out the GOOD lotion and the vitamins and we get it under control again. (So, I guess I should give them some credit!)

Wish I had a good definitive answer for you, but in my experience there is none. I even tried the 'let's see if she has a food allergy' thing, but in our case it mostly boiled down to heat and humidity -- which is opposite of what doctors tried to tell me: dry air = dry skin = excema. Sounds like you have the heat and humidity variety too. Fun stuff.

Good luck finding what works for you! Let me know if you want the name of those vitamins.

2 moms found this helpful
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M.M.

answers from St. Louis on

I have 2 children with excema. Their dermatologist recommended Blue Lizard. It is great. It has never caused any problems with their skin and they practically live in it during the summer.

1 mom found this helpful
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V.Y.

answers from Wichita on

I have psoriasis. If you can find this lotion, it helped me immensely. It is called Aquacare. The lotion must have 10% urea in it. But my problem is non-existent because of this. She could put this on and then sun screen. Good Luck.
V.

1 mom found this helpful
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R.D.

answers from Kansas City on

Kathy B has the right answer.....ARBONNE! I tried it when I was sent a sample (from a different consultant) and LOVE IT for my son (almost 2), and for myself. The Baby Care line is great for anyone with sensitive skin. I liked the sample so well, I signed up as a consultant so I can get a generous discount for myself and my family! Since Kathy mentioned it first, contact her. I would definately give Arbonne a try. They are all about SAFE, PURE, BENEFICIAL ingredients. I love this company and their products!

1 mom found this helpful
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K.B.

answers from St. Louis on

Have you heard of Arbonne? There is a baby care line and the sunscreen is amazing!! It is free of mineral oil, fragerance and dyes. Its main ingredients are zinc oxide and has UVA and UVB protection. I love it for my children! It is the only thing I have found that works and no burns at all!! Great part is if you contact me I will send you a FREE sample to try and when you order the products there is a 45 day money back guarantee!!
I look forward to hearing from you ###-###-#### or www.kathybumeter.myarbonne.com. I would like to help.

1 mom found this helpful
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T.W.

answers from Kansas City on

My friend who is a PA for a dermatology office has this advice for sunscreen with exzema: one that doesnt burn when u put it on.no other recommendation.

So are there any with no dyes or perfumes???? Hope this helps :)

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T.F.

answers from St. Joseph on

Hi,

My nephew has bad excema and he gets flair-ups in the summer that my sister always stays on top of. She uses a pretty pricey spray on sunscreen, i am pretty sure that it is Aveno. Like i said, a little pricey, but so worth it. Anyway, that seems to really help his little skin. Hope that works. Also, i know that he gets flair ups around his diaper line, etc, my sister gives him a cool bath, and cakes on the Aveno oatmeal lotion.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.K.

answers from St. Louis on

I would strongly reccommend that you look in to Melaleuca products. If you don't want to "sell it", you can probably find someone to buy it from. That's what I do.

This stuff is absolutely incredible. My husband has skin problems, including, but not limited to - severely dry skin in the winter that cracks and bleeds; hands that crack and bleed all year. My daughter has sensitive little kiddie skin - including dry skin and excema. By using Melaleuca bar soap (any flavor) and Malaleuca Renew lotion neither of them even have skin conditions anymore. So, I really hope you can try this stuff - I haven't met anyone who hasn't had similar results. (And, just to be clear - I do not sell this stuff! I just buy it!!!! So, I'm not trying to make money by telling you this.)

I think they have sunscreen too. I haven't tried that yet. My daugther doesn't have excema now that we use the soap and lotion. From previously, I was using something from L'oreal called Umbrelle - it's incredible! We use the spray on - it's not gloompy lotion, but a think substance that rubs in great. She's never had "too much sun" - even if I forget and only apply it once (of course, I always do that inside before we go out to the sun). I'm amazed by this stuff.

Best of luck! And the Renew lotion comes in trial tubes - but the person who I know that sells this stuff...she carries the tubes and gives them to people. Every single person who has tried it as bought the big bottles!! It's incredible!!

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S.B.

answers from Kansas City on

I read an online article recently that American sunscreens are a joke. I've tried to find the article again so you can read it, but am unable. The article compared suncreens from various sunny places around the world. The article claimed that Australian sunscreens are the best. They have more sunblocking agents in them. As a Native American, I don't use much sunscreen so I'm not sure how one would go about obtaining suncreen from Australia. I suspect that with a little motivation and the internet, it's probably not too difficult. Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful
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L.P.

answers from Kansas City on

I would recommend Arbonne's baby sunscreen.

1 mom found this helpful
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R.L.

answers from St. Louis on

I don't know if this will help, but I have a 20 year old who has very sensitive skin, burns easily, and had excema as a child. He uses Neutrogena Sunscreen. I can't remember when we started using it though. So, I don't know how it worked with the excema.

1 mom found this helpful
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R.H.

answers from St. Louis on

Have you had her tested to see if she could have an allergy to the sun? My mother has a slight allergy to sunlight and at the beginning of the warm weather every year, she has to really watch her sun exposure, sometimes she even has to take an umbrella with her to use while outside if she is "having a sensitive day". It seems that every year she gets a little better and by the end of the summer she is out in the sunshine enjoying herself, but those first few weeks wreak havoc on her skin and she breaks out in a rash. Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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P.A.

answers from Kansas City on

Hi Mo B, I am not sure if it is the same but I suffer from very bad reaction to the sun and/or heat.Last year while driving to Texas I started breaking out while still in the car just from the sun through the windows. I also break out from regular sunscreen and have been "diagnosed" as allergic to the sun as well as the chemical filters in most sunscreens,so the reaction gets even worse if I wear these in the sun. I have to wear sunscreen with physical filter in stead of chemical. The physical filter is tougher to spread out and it stays like a film on the skin in stead of sinking into the skin. I am having a hard time finding it in the stores but I have seen them online.I get mine in Denmark (where I am from) I hope you will try this and I really hope it might help your daughter. I know how absolutely terrible the outbreaks are -for her and for you.
Good luck, Pernille.

1 mom found this helpful
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T.M.

answers from Columbia on

We use the coppertone water babies sunscreen on our toddler son who gets patches of excema. i know it's not especially for that, but it hasn't irritated his skin ever (and for the past couple months when we were in africa, we've been putting it on him nearly everyday).

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D.V.

answers from Kansas City on

I had excema my whole life until I started to heal from within. I now bless peoples lives with Isagenix. It provides everything your body need for nutrition in one shake a day. It works wonderfully with children. After one week on the product my skin never broke out again! This is such an amazing product line that really helps so many conditions because we are all deficient because of toxins and soil depletion. Let me know if I can help.
Blessings, D.

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P.P.

answers from Topeka on

I really think you should consult her doctor - or have your doc refer you to a dermatologist. I suffered from excema when I was younger and it was the result of food allergies - she might need to be checked out for them.

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D.S.

answers from Kansas City on

Hey Mo!
I'd love to talk to you about a company called Melaleuca. They have an amazing product called RENEW that helps with dry skin conditions like eczema. And since you are in Real Estate too (as am I) and it really stinks right now, Melaleuca also has a unique revenue sharing opportunity that is second to none! They actually developed and trademarked it so there is no other opportunity like it. It's NOT an MLM or some crazy pyramid thing. It's a legitimate business. They are accredited with the BBB and the US Chamber of Commerce and have one multiple awards for their business standards and ethics.

I'd love to share the details with you!

D. S.
www.wahu2day.com

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C.D.

answers from St. Louis on

Hi. As far as sunscreen, you should probably look for chemical free...which means nothing you can find at a regular store--usually only at health food stores or online. Only titanium dioxide or zinc oxide as active ingredients, and maybe without parabens. (You might look at the other products you use for her too...shampoo etc...maybe switch for California baby or something (you can get it at Target) to eliminate the chemicals that are in all the store brands. Look at http://www.ewg.org/ for info about chemicals and lists of products rated by safety. Once you read about the chemicals, you won't want to use them on yourself either.
Eczema is usually an allergic response, and you can have an allergic response to sun as well. My daughter was just tested and treated for her food allergies (and environmental) with a holistic treatment called AAT (Advanced Allergy Therapeutics). It's totally noninvasive--she giggled during treatment. We're still testing foods for her...she may need a second treatment for some (which is true of 20% of treatments) but she is definitely much improved. I feel so blessed to have found this treatment and Dr. Ian. We have never had any experience with holistic treatments, so it was a bit of a leap of faith, but after the testing, I was a believer...it can identify your allergens down to the specific protein, amino acids, molecule, etc. This is the website for where we went in Chicago burbs
http://midwestallergyrelief.com
If you email them, they will respond to your questions. the website specifically mentions sunlight sensitivity.
Here's the website for the worldwide organization, including a clinic location search.
http://www.allergytx.com/
Let me know if you want to know more. Good luck You should be looking forward to summer, not dreading it :(
C.

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M.G.

answers from Kansas City on

http://www.carenonline.com/Soleo_SPF_30_Sunscreen_p/so-sp...

This stuff is amazing. I think it's the best all natural sunscreen out there. I am a big label reader and this actually has "good for your skin" ingredients. I have also tried a lot of different ones from Whole Foods, and so far, this one is my favorite. The lady that owns this business is local so she will meet up with you here in town so you don't have to pay for shipping.

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L.B.

answers from St. Joseph on

Our dermotolotist at Children's Mercy gave me a sample of the Vanicream sunscreen and even my daughter said, "mommy that feels good on." So I ordered in bulk for our trip to the Texas beaches last summer. Haven't had any success finding Vanicream in stores (although I know Walmart & Target will special order for you). I bought all mine via the internet at www.drugstore.com. They have different SPFs but I went for the highest possible and also bought the different one for the face.

The best thing about this stuff (besides the fact that it worked and didn't irritate my kids skin) is that it is silky smooth and not the greasy goopey stuff we had to endure as kids. Didn't once have a problem with squirming kids not wanting to get it slathered on b/c it absorbed so well and was extremely lightweight. Good luck!

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K.C.

answers from Kansas City on

I don't have the excema problem, but my kids have sensitive skin, and anyway I like to get them the zinc oxide/titanium dioxide sunscreens to be safe. I've even noticed this year there are some (for sensitive skin) at target with those as the active ingredients. We've had luck with badger and california baby. I hope you find something that helped, I know it's terrible. 2 years ago I decided to heck with it and bought the cheap (as in mid-priced child's) sunscreen and as soon as it was on my daughter started crying and saying it burns. We put her in the bath and called the company and they were like "yeah, that just happens sometimes, you probably shouldn't use it again." Ugh!

K.

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