Sunscreen is incredibly important when you’re going out under the hot sun.
Even when it’s cloudy, sunblock of some kind is important, especially for young kids and toddlers.
We can’t underestimate the strength and danger of sun exposure, especially now with our thinning ozone layer.
That’s why there are so many products available that you can use to protect your kids from the deadly sun’s rays.
Rebecca Canon knew she needed one of them for her little baby, Kyla, who is only fourteen months old.
She and Kyla were visiting her sister. It was a pretty hot day in Newfoundland, Canada, so she borrowed some sunscreen spray from her sister to use for Kyla.
Rebecca browsed the label of the sunscreen first, and it proclaimed that it was meant for kids aged six months and above, so it was fine for Kyla.
It was called the Banana Boat Kids Sunscreen Spray and it had SPF 50 protection.
She sprayed some onto her hands first, then rubbed the spray carefully onto the cheeks and nose of her baby girl, making sure to keep away from her eyes.
As the day progressed, Rebecca couldn’t help being aware of the fact that Kyla’s face was getting redder.
The next day when she woke up, her entire face was swollen and red, and she was even getting blisters.
Hurriedly, Rebecca took her to a hospital emergency room. Shockingly, Kyla’s diagnosis was of second-degree burns.
Rebecca was perplexed by this revelation, as no one in the family had any signs of sunburns at all.
A dermatologist was quick to uncover the likely truth behind the situation.
Kyla had received a caustic burn as a result of the sunscreen she was using, meaning there may have been some kind of dangerous chemical in it.
Thankfully, despite this startling diagnosis, Kyla will likely not deal with long-term issues and also does not seem to have any scarring.
Rebecca decided to contact the Banana Boat company and issue a complaint regarding the ill effects of their sunscreen.
The company responded by saying they take these concerns seriously and will be investigating as needed.
This eventually prompted Health Canada to perform its own investigation due to an increased number of skin issue reports from the company’s sun-protection items.
A wide range of different examinations, however, did not show any reason to be concerned with the sunscreen products.
Unfortunately, for now, it seems like this was more of a freak incident than one that implicates the manufacturers, and it is likely that Kyla had a severe allergic reaction.
If that’s the case, then how can you avoid all these issues?
Your best option is to always patch test a product before using it.
Babies and young children – and even adults – can have surprising allergic reactions or very sensitive skin, so testing before full coverage use is always a good idea.
In America, most products for personal care are unregulated, for the most part, with the last relevant law passing way back in 1938, so patch testing is all the more crucial!
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