We were in the heat and sun several times this week as we live near the beach. His face turned red in spots and in many of the spots, there were little bumps. It didn't seem to irritate him but we removed him from the heat. Once inside, he was fine, and then when we went outside again, it happened again. The red was on face, mostly upper face and hairline. Most spots looked as if I missed some areas with sunscreen. We took him out and removed him three times and the last time, his eyes were swollen. I took him home and gave him some benadryl. The redness and bumps went away, but his eye is still a little swollen. It sounds similar to heat rash online but it says it occurs typically in folds and under clothes and he was fine everywhere else. He has been in the sun several times this year but this is the first time this has happened. Any thoughts?
I have heard of people being allergic to the sun, but I don't know much about the symptoms. Is it possible that he is allergic to the sunscreen you are using?
It actually doesn't sound like heat rash to me. It sounds more like he has a sensitivity to sunlight. There ARE actually people that are allergic to sunlight, so why not someone that's "sensitive" to it too? Talk to your ped about it. It's strange enough that I would demand some tests.
Also, there are certain substances that can make us more sensitive to sunlight. I know that a medication I took once was one of those and I got a horrible sunburn by only being outside for 10 minutes. Is he on any kind of medication right now? Is he being exposed to anything that could be causing this?
And also, did you put sunblock on him? Maybe the activation of the sunblock in the sunlight released something that he's sensitive to.
Just some things to think about and check out.
Could be heat rash, could be the sunscreen... my daughter is very sensitive and her eyes and face puff up from the "wrong" sunscreen. Aveeno works well for us.
The same thing happened to my 14 month old nephew the other day. He was fine.
This sounds similar to what happened to my son when he was an infant. On several occassions after we brought him out in the heat (even in a stroller with a sunshade up, so he was not exposed to the sun) he got red, splotchy "welts" about his face and head, mostly around the hairline. He didn't exhibit any other symptoms and didn't seem bothered by them. His pediatrician said that some children's bodies have difficulty regulating heat, and it can be a result of him being overheated. Eventually, the reaction went away.
I would definitely call your pediatrician, just to be safe.
There could be other factors you are just missing. If he is still not doing well or it happens again I would take him to see a doctor. I know my girl does that if a bug bites her so we have to watch real closely. Try placing a light hat on his head to cover that area from the sun.
My mom is actually allergic to the sun and the same thing happens to her. She has to wear long sleeves and a wide-brimmed hat all summer, as well as SPF 50 sunscreen. Talk to your child's pediatrician as soon as you can. In the meantime, keep him covered.
