I have a 2 year old boy with eczema. Since I put sunscreen on him, it seems to be getting worse. What should I do?

Question

I put cortisone cream prescribed by his doctor at night. Can I put some on him before he goes out in the sun? Also, I took the same brand of sun cream as last year, but now he has a lot of dry patches of skin.

Alexandre Chagnon · Accepted Answer

Hello Ma'am, At this age and in the situation where eczema is worsened by wearing sunscreen, I frequently recommend replacing the wearing of sunscreen with long clothing that displays a high UV protection factor (SPF 50). In other words, wear a wide-brimmed hat, a long-sleeved poolside shirt, preferably dark, and long shorts. Prolonged exposure to the sun between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. is avoided. Why do this? Most children of this age, when exposed for a few minutes a day to sunlight without UV protection, will see their eczema improve drastically. On the other hand, prolonged exposure should be avoided and the skin should be left well hydrated.