Sun cream for sensitive skin? (Kids) help please!

[flowergirlso]

Please can anyone recommend sun cream for sensitive skin?

my 3yo seems to react to sun cream but not every time?
last year we used child’s farm and he was fine, but this year it doesn’t seem to be (it’s a new bottle) and whichever one the preschool he goes to use, doesn’t agree with him either and he’s got really sandpaper like skin, bumpy and itchy wherever the sun cream has been.

I’ve washed it off and given piriton, hopefully that helps? But have no idea what other sun creams to try?

Altruist is good for very sensitive skin and allergies.

We have the same problem problem with my eldest. Ditto with child’s farm too - one summer it was fine for her and the next she had a big reaction to it. Every spring we play suncream roulette - I buy a sample/bottle (as small as possible) of whatever worked the previous summer and we patch test. We sometimes go through a few and I end up giving away rejects to friends!

Anecdotally, the only one that’s never caused her a reaction is UltraSun Family 30 spf, but it so expensive. This year she’s tolerating a mineral Ambre Solaire 50 spf well enough. She just has very sensitive skin and this is the only way I’ve been able to manage. Best of luck!

And yes - always Piriton after a reaction, it brings it down with minimal drama.

Blue lizard

Thank you for the advice! How do you do a patch test may I ask? I feel like he doesn’t react right away, it’ll be like after a day or so of having applied it maybe like consecutively that his skin flares up. What sort of reaction did your child have?
good idea testing small bottles! Honestly at this point the bottle could be super expensive but if I know he won’t react to it I’ll pay it 😅 feel bad his skin being all dry and sandpaper like and irritated!

do you just do one dose of piriton or keep it up for how long please? Until the reaction has calmed down?

he’s at pre school 5 days a week full time, so it’s really hard to know what he’s going to react too :( I guess the weather is cooling down next week so I can trial a few suggestions then! Thank you all so much xxx

Ambre Solaire kids sensitive is the only one my son can use.

Ultrasun is the only one that doesn't cause a reaction for me.

My eldest has eczema and we use soltan sensitive baby suncream and has never caused an issue even over eczema patches

Ladival is the only one we have used with zero problems. Boots soltan and Nivea seem the worst which others recommend so goes to show it's hit and miss. I also find even if they aren't reacting directly to the suncream the weather in general does tend to make them hot and sweaty and I think the suncream exacerbates that so I'm always quite keen to wash it off my children in the evening.

Altruist is the one recommended by my consultant dermatologist and the only one that I don’t react to. It’s created by dermatologists and profits go to charities. And it isn’t too expensive.

Avene worked for us for a while. But in the end we gave up and used UV clothing and hats. DC is almost 18 and still can’t tolerate any sunscreen.

Ultrasun extreme heat factor50 is the only one that has worked for my dc.

Definitely Altrurist. Can buy from Amazon.

The only sun cream my ds didn’t react to at that age was sunsense. He’s now ok with calypso and ultra sun.
Also look at using factor 30 instead of 50 because that blocks pours and can cause skin issues.

This is the one we use with DD as she reacted to child’s farm etc

Have you tried mineral suncream? He could be reacting to the chemical filters in regular suncream.
I use Green People or Jason mineral sunscreen on my dc. They are very gentle.

Unfortunately for us both Altruist and Green people as well as lots of sensitive ones have given her a reaction. I thought she’d been okay with a mineral one but after a week of applying she’s just shown me her leg which has come up in white itchy spots like nettle stings. I’ve just ordered a £40 bottle of UltraSun which is my last resort.

@flowergirlso I patch test by finding it ahead of the time she’ll need sun protection and just applying it to a particular arm, leg etc, and then waiting a coupe of days. I always try and get out ahead of the hot spells and do it in early spring.

I think Piriton kids is only once a day - ideally one dose would take the worst out of a reaction, but we have repeated it the next day if it’s remained really itchy. Also localised creams can help bring rashes down - antihistamine ones or hydrocortisone or similar.

La Roche-Posay was the only one my ds with eczema didn’t react to.

I have skin cancer and it’s also what my cancer nurse recommended to me for daily use.

If is ££ but it got to a point where I could get away with using other ones on his body, and use the La Roche-Posay one just on his face.

My daughters always has a suncream allergy, we use le Roche posay- annoyingly have to fake it in to nursery and they would usually provide and it’s so expensive 🙈 but she doesn’t come out in hives so

Another vote for Le Roche Posay or I’ve found Eucerin is also good for sensitive skin.

We use La roche posay too, it has worked really well for my daughters sensitive skin

Soltan sensitive one is good

Thank you so much everyone for your helpful comments 🩷

we tried altruist yesterday and I think his skin has gotten even worse :( but I had to put something on him as it was a hot day and he didn’t want to be inside all day long.

im going to try la Roche kids one once his skin has calmed down a bit. Luckily they are inside at pre school next week due to renovations!
poor little soul skin is like sandpaper and white pumps :( he’s been itching today still too.

My DC has the same reaction and I researched an older tread on here and a few people recommended Sun Sense, apparently GPs prescribe it for kids with eczema. I’ve ordered it from Amazon and it arrived today so fingers crossed it works!

DD always reacted to nivea which is what nursery used. La Roche Posay/Altruist/ ultrasun were better. As was, annoyingly the Vichy Solar Water but it's v expensive.

Also the long lasting ones were much more irritating (think as sweat gets trapped) we found covering up and reapplying thinner ones better