Sun allergy in children: This is what you need to know

Basically, what experts call “polymorphic light eruption” (PLD) is not a real allergy at all. Rather, the skin overreacts to too much exposure to the sun: redness, swelling, wheals, scales, spots or blisters on the affected parts of the body (usually on the face and shoulders) are the result. Similar to severe sunburn, except that the skin does not “burn” from the radiation, but overreacts due to the special sensitivity to light in the UVA range – i.e. the UV light spectrum that does not necessarily lead to sunburn. In addition, the sun allergy is usually triggered by external factors, such as high-fat sunscreen. What both skin reactions have in common is that they can be very painful. It is all the more important to treat the symptoms quickly and effectively. How you can best proceed and avoid sun allergy in the future is explained below.

causes and symptoms

Since the sun allergy is an overreaction of the skin to too much exposure to light, UV radiation is the primary cause. The immune system reacts accordingly by triggering a kind of allergic reaction – and with it typical symptoms, which, however, can vary in severity and appearance in each child. Hence the term “polymorph”, which means multifaceted. Here it is important to treat the affected parts of the body such as the décolleté, shoulders, neck, arms and legs quickly. Even if the sun allergy only becomes apparent a few days later and your child’s skin shows one of the following symptoms:

First and foremost, you need to relieve the itching, as children quickly run the risk of scratching the affected areas – and causing small skin injuries. This makes it easy for pathogens to penetrate the skin and cause inflammation. How best to treat the symptoms is explained in the next paragraph.

A notice: If the skin is reddened or swollen over a large area and your child also gets a fever, you should consult a doctor immediately! He uses antiseptic ointments.

How to treat sun allergy in children

In the first instance, your child needs to avoid the sun for a few days, after which the symptoms usually go away on their own. To relieve the itching, you can cool the affected areas of the body with wet compresses (due to the cold, the vessels contract and the skin swells) or with something smear. If the skin is severely irritated, you can also use a (only from the age of six!) or use Fenistil to curb skin irritation. However, apply both very sparingly and only thinly to your child’s skin.

If you want to do without medical aids entirely, you can use the following home remedies: chamomile or green tea, yoghurt or quark (never use flour, powder or oil). You can spread the milk products as thick as a finger on a towel and wrap it around your skin for at least 30 minutes. If the cooling effect wears off, you can replace the envelope again if necessary. Also, make sure your child is drinking enough. Sunburn dries out the skin and requires a lot of liquid.

A notice: If small blisters form on the skin, do not open them under any circumstances, as this can lead to infection.

This is how you can prevent a sun allergy

Basically, it is best not to expose your baby to the sun in the first year of life – and if so, then only with appropriate sun protection. You can do the face with one protect the arms and legs with long, opaque clothing and the skin with a sunscreen. It’s best to use one here (ideally 50) and apply cream to your child 30 minutes before sun exposure and after any contact with water so that it has enough time to take effect. A parasol with special UV protection also helps on the beach, as it provides shade and protects the skin from the strong radiation. you can find a suitable model, for example.

If your child already suffers from a sun allergy, the chances are very high that they will suffer from it every year. In order to alleviate the symptoms permanently, it makes sense to gradually get your child used to the effects of light. The best way to do this is to use spring in particular to expose your child’s skin to the sun – but only for a short period of time. Over time, you increase your time outdoors so that the skin can form more melanin (dyes or pigments) to protect itself from dangerous UV radiation. You can support this process by taking and . Talk to your pediatrician about this in advance.

Other preventive measures are:

Sunglasses with UV protection for children’s eyes

Not only the skin is particularly sensitive at a young age, but also the eyes. Proper UV protection is therefore essential for both sunglasses and everyday glasses. “The lens of the eye and the cornea can filter out a large part of the UV radiation. Additional protection is still important! That means: For children with ametropia, make sure they wear glasses with certified UV protection,” explains Dr. Michael Petrak, specialist in ophthalmology at the University Hospital Bonn. Because even if there are no proven eye diseases that are clearly triggered by UV radiation (such as skin cancer), Petrak still points out: “It cannot be ruled out that UV exposure in childhood has an impact on a eye disease in old age, such as cataracts or age-related macular degeneration (AMD).”

For this reason, since 2018 it has offered UVProtect protection of up to 400 nanometers in clear plastic lenses as standard. Sunglasses for children should also offer the same protection – you can recognize them by the correct marking, the UV 400 label. You can find suitable models for boys and girls at every ZEISS optician, for example .

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