Mum warns parents to patch test suncream after her daughter was hospitalised with severe reaction to Aldi lotion
A HEARTBROKEN mum has urged parents to patch test sun cream on their kids after her two-year-old daughter was hospitalised with a severe reaction to Aldi's lotion.
Chelsea Jones, 25, from Blackpool, was horrified when little Lily-Mae went into anaphylactic shock after using Aldi's Extra Sensitive Sun Spray last week.
The mum applied the suncream all over Lily-Mae's face and body last week to prevent her fair skin burning in the sun.
But within 10 minutes, Lily-Mae developed a rash, her eyelids and lips swelled, and she was unable to swallow.
The mum-of-three immediately called 111 who sent out an ambulance straight away - but in the meantime, Lily-Mae continued to deteriorate.
Chelsea said: "It was clear Lily-Mae was having an allergic reaction and the paramedics had to use an epi-pen on her.
“They hoped it would help, but the reaction was so bad, it didn’t look like it was working."
The ambulance rushed Lily-Mae to Blackpool Victoria Hospital where she spent three hours before the reaction calmed down and she was sent home.
Chelsea added: "Nurses had to pin her down and wash her eyes with saline to get out of every bit of product, in case she'd rubbed some in.
"She's finally home but she's still bright red and rubbing her eyes - it's been incredibly traumatic."
Although doctors weren't able to tell Chelsea what ingredient in the suncream caused the reaction, the mum has been told to avoid all SPFs for the foreseeable future.
What's more, the devastated mum cannot use suncream on her little girl until more tests have been done.
She continued: "I can't use sun cream on her until we get a doctors appointment. I don't know what I'm going to do, especially in all this hot weather.
"I can't keep her inside but I can't put any suncream on her - it's a nightmare."
While Lily Mae was still in hospital, Chelsea messaged a friend who had yet to try Aldi's children's suncream on her baby.
"She then decided to do a patch test on her 9 month old baby just to be sure he wouldn’t react if she used it," she said. "Well she put a tiny bit of the spray on his foot... and it DID react! His skin came up in a blister.";
Chelsea is now urging other parents to conduct patch tests before using new sun creams.
She continued: "The bottle didn’t say anything about doing a patch test and if it had, I definitely would have done one first.
"The suncream was even called 'extra sensitive' so I thought it would be fine.
"To other parents, please do a patch test first - I dread to think how it could have turned out."
Dr Carol Cooper said: "This particular Lacura product is dermatologically tested and often gets the thumbs up from parent groups. In fact it’s so popular that it’s hard to get hold of at the moment.
"Skin reactions in general are common, especially in young children, and their delicate skin can erupt dramatically. Even a so-called low allergy or 'hypo-allergenic' product can sometimes trigger a reaction. And it’s not always possible to pinpoint the cause.
"Sometimes a reaction occurs because a substance makes the skin more sensitive to the sun. This happens with some grasses and plant saps. And sometimes the reaction is to something else entirely, with the sunscreen just an innocent bystander.
"Sunscreens are complex and most contain a blend of physical blockers against UV rays as well as chemical absorbers that soak up UV. As a common sense guide, the shorter the list of ingredients, the fewer allergens a skin product will contain.
"Most sunscreens for babies and young children have a SPF of 50 or even more.Obviously the higher the factor, the more of a time margin you have for being out in the sun.
"The best way to protect babies from sunburn is to keep them out of direct sun and to cover them up with a hat and clothes as well as applying sunscreen products. Don’t rely on just one method."
NHS sun cream guidance:
- Parent needs to take extra care to protect babies and children from the sun.
- Their skin is much more sensitive than adult skin, and damage caused by repeated exposure to sunlight could lead to skin cancer developing in later life
- From March to October in the UK, children should: cover up with suitable clothing, spend time in the shade, particularly from 11am to 3pm and wear at least SPF30 sunscreen
- Apply sunscreen to areas not protected by clothing, such as the face, ears, feet and backs of hands
Source:
Since the incident, Chelsea told Fabulous Digital that she has been in contact with Aldi who have offered her refund.
She added: "All Aldi has said is they can refund me the money - not given me any explanation.
"It doesn't say on the bottle not to use on the face, in fact it says 'apply generously to face and body before sun exposure'. It also doesn't say to do a patch test."
The mum shared her experience on social media to urge other parents to patch test sun cream on their children before applying it.
Her post has racked up over 6,200 comments since Chelsea shared it last Wednesday.
She added: "In this weather, it's very hard work [keeping Lily-Mae out of the sun] and a kind lady who had seen my post sent her some protective clothing and a hat to wear to stop her being burnt and so she can still go out in this heat."
A spokesperson for Aldi said: "We were sorry to hear about the Jones family’s experience. Our Lacura sun spray is dermatologically tested and has been approved by the Skin Health Alliance. Despite our extensive testing, however, there is always the possibility of an individual intolerance to a particular ingredient."
Most read in Fabulous
In more parenting news, lying with your kids until they fall asleep ‘is GOOD for their mental health’, according to experts.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
And this ‘lazy’ mum was slammed by viewers for letting her kids eat six mini rolls for dinner on Britain’s Best Parent.
Plus this busy single mum dresses her four-year-old son while he’s still sleeping and VACUUMS dirt off his socks instead of washing them.