Written by: Pharmomacist
Melissa, PharmD, BCACP
Many parts of motherhood are COMPLICATED.
For starters, ALL the remembering. One task that falls on moms, especially in the summer months, is applying sunscreen and bug spray to protect yourself and your children.
You just buy one and apply it and you’re good! Right??
I wish it were that easy! Unfortunately, there is a huge sunscreen and bug spray market, so the aisles are FILLED with products.
How do you choose what is safe, effective, and appropriate?
Here is a breakdown of what active ingredients to look for, who, how, where, and when to apply them.
SUNSCREEN
The two active ingredients (individually or together) that are safe and effective are:
- Zinc oxide
- Titanium Dioxide.
These are mineral ingredients that sit on top of the skin and act as a barrier to harmful UV rays. Because of this barrier mechanism, they sometimes leave a white cast on the skin–some brands are worse than others. When comparing different products on the market, I have found that pipette brand and sun bum mineral products are less likely to leave a white cast.
These products are safe for even children 6 months of age. Sunscreen is not recommended before 6 months due to the skin being so delicate. It is best to keep your child in the shade and out of direct sunlight before 6 months of age to protect from skin damage.
“The chemical sunscreens are WAY easier to apply and the spray products are SO convenient”. I HEAR YA!
Here is the concern - a study published in the Journal of American Medical Association in 2020, found that these chemicals in chemical sunscreen were applied as directed and then detected in blood samples.
The levels at which the chemicals were detected exceeded the FDAs threshold. The study found that with continued use on consecutive days, levels continued to rise in the bloodstream and remained elevated even 24 hours after the last application.
Based on this information and the concerns about these ingredients in the bloodstream, I generally recommend trying to AVOID:
- Avobenzone
- Homosalate
- Octocrylene
- Octinoxate
- Octisalate
- Oxybenzone.
NOW, please keep in mind, if you are in a situation where the option is a chemical sunscreen vs. no sunscreen–I would go with the chemical sunscreen. Skin cancer is deadly, and even a few extreme sunburns can put you at risk.
The most common places forgotten when applying sunscreen are often the common places for sunburns.
Make sure you get:
- The tops of the ears
- The lips
- The Scalp
Make sure to apply sunscreen to these areas and include these areas when reapplying sunscreen throughout the day.
In general, sunscreen should be reapplied every 2 hours. If you are going to the beach for the day, set an alarm!
If you are going in the water or in a situation where you or your children will be sweating, this would be a time to use a water-resistant or “sport” sunscreen product. These range from 40-80 minutes of water resistance (check the label for details). This means after about an hour in the water, your child should come out, dry off, and will have to reapply their sunscreen. If you are NOT using a water-resistant product and the water exposure is brief (in and out of the pool/ocean) it is best to dry off and reapply immediately.
My final tip for sunscreen is to get a sunscreen stick! It’s designed like a deodorant stick. These are so convenient for face application and also convenient to keep in the diaper bag, car, or purse, for easy use on the go.
INSECT REPELLENT
Insect repellent or bug spray is another summer must-have. It’s not just the itchy, painful, unattractive bites we are trying to prevent. Mosquitoes and ticks can carry illnesses like Lyme, malaria, rocky mountain fever, zika, dengue, and more.
Certain ingredients have proven to be effective in protecting against these illnesses caused by mosquitoes and ticks. Utilize the CDC website and your local (or travel destination) Department of Health website, to stay informed of local outbreaks or prevalent mosquito or tick-borne illness.
There are so many options labeled “family” or “kid”, but that provides no information about what is actually in the product.
Any bug spray can be kid or family-safe it is ALL about the appropriate application. So let’s start with application tips and then we will jump into active ingredients!
Insect repellent is recommended starting at 2 months of age if your child will be at risk of mosquito or tick-borne illness. Recall, sunscreen is not to be started until 6 months of age.
It is much easier to keep a baby out of direct sunlight than it is to keep them in a guaranteed safe spot from mosquito or tick-borne illness! This recommendation is per the CDC, but I still recommend discussing it with your pediatrician before applying insect repellent to your infant.
In general, I recommend avoiding aerosol bug sprays. The toxicity of bug sprays is most frequently through inhalation or ingestion. When spraying an aerosol spray, you or your child need to hold your breath–a difficult and dangerous concept for children. There are non-aerosol spray products as well as lotions and wipes that are much safer options.
Let’s get into the ingredients. The ingredients that have proven effective against mosquito and tick-borne illness, recommended by the CDC and readily available in the U.S. are:
1. DEET
2. Picaridin
3.Oil of lemon eucalyptus( NOT approved for children < 3 years of age)
DEET and picaridin have the longest safety outcomes data. In general, the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) list both DEET and picaridin as appropriate options for children 2 months of age as well as pregnant women.
The duration of these agents is based on the % of the active ingredient. Picaridin 20% lasts about 12 hours, so only one application is typically necessary for the day! This is why it isn’t recommended to buy combination bug spray/sunscreen products. Sunscreen needs to be reapplied much more frequently than bug spray.
DEET is available in a wider variety of potencies. DEET 10% lasts about 2 hours, whereas DEET 20% lasts 5 hours, and DEET 30% lasts up to 8 hours.
Applying more frequently than indicated will not provide additional protection, it will only increase the risk of side effects.
There are many remedies including essential oils that are a topic of interest to repel mosquitoes and ticks. Please note, that while there are many anecdotal reports of efficacy, there is currently no evidence that essential oils prevent tick or mosquito-borne illness.
Finally, I would like to leave you with a list of quick Tips to keep you and your littles safe this summer when using insect repellent:
✅ Only apply to EXPOSED skin, it is not necessary to apply under clothing.
✅ Store out of reach of children, as if this were a medication.
✅ Only apply outdoors to further decrease inhalation/ingestion risk.
✅ Do not apply more frequently than indicated based on the active ingredients.
✅ If applying a spray to the face, spray into hands and then apply to the face.
✅ Avoid any bug repellent near the eyes or mouth.
✅ DEET can damage plastic, like sunglasses, so be sure to not apply near any plastic.
✅ Wear tall socks & long-sleeve clothing to prevent skin exposure.
✅ Avoid using scented soaps on yourself or your child.
✅ Avoid wearing bright or floral patterns, as this attracts bugs.
✅ Avoid playing near stagnant water/puddles, as this is where mosquitoes breed.
✅ Once you come indoors, rinse the skin with soap and water to remove the insect repellent.
1 comment
Thank you for this post! Really helpful information.