Can babies use sunscreen?

Not really

First of all, babies have tender skin and weaker protection against ultraviolet rays, so they need to take sun protection measures. But whether to use sunscreen depends mainly on age.

For infants under 6 months old, it is recommended to avoid direct exposure to the sun, especially during the high UV hours between 10 am and 4 pm. When going out, babies should be kept in the shade as much as possible and wear sun-protective clothing and wide-brimmed hats to reduce direct exposure to UV rays. If there are indeed some parts that are difficult to protect from the sun, you can also apply a little sunscreen on a small area. The overall risk of doing so is not great.

For infants over 6 months old, baby sunscreen can be used as needed. It is usually recommended to give priority to physical sunscreens, whose main ingredients are zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, which are not easily absorbed by the skin and are safer. The sun protection mechanism of physical sunscreens is mainly to reduce skin absorption by reflecting ultraviolet rays, which is suitable for the delicate skin of infants.

Author: Tang Jiaoqing, MD, attending physician of dermatology

Review | Feng Jun, deputy chief physician of the Dermatology Department of Sinopharm Tongmei General Hospital