Boy ‘slathered in factor 50’ rushed to A&E with sunburn
MUM’S WARNING TO PARENTS AS SUNCREAM COMPANY INSISTS PRODUCT IS SAFE
AMOTHER is warning other parents about the dangers of being in the sun for too long after her five-year-old son was left with sunburn and blisters – despite being “slathered” in factor 50 sunscreen.
Ffion Haf Roberts, from Penygroes near Caernarfon, claims that her son was left needing hospital treatment for sunburn even though he had the Banana Boat sun cream on.
She says Rhys Armon Williams was covered in blisters despite using the product.
The Ysgol Bro Lleu pupil had been playing in the garden and in a paddling pool with his siblings in the sunshine on July 23 when the incident occurred.
Miss Roberts says she took him to hospital for treatment after his skin began blistering and the pain became “unbearable”.
Edgewell Personal Care (EPS), which makes the Banana Boat products, said they provide safe and effective UVA and UVB protection when used as directed on the label and with other sun protection measures as necessary.
“All of our sun care products undergo rigorous testing to ensure they are appropriately labelled and
●
meet all relevant local governing body regulations,” said a spokesperson.
Miss Roberts said Rhys had been playing in the garden with his brother and sister and was in and out of the paddling pool, so she made sure she kept topping up the sun cream.
“I was using factor 50 and it also said it was water-resistant,” she said.
“I noticed he was a bit red at the end of the day but the following day he woke up with small blisters which gradually got worse.
“I took him to the doctor’s for advice and he told me to put a cool flannel on him, but by 7pm he was no better so I called out-of-hours and they told me to take him straight to A&E.
“He was given plasters for the burn and I was giving him Calpol and ibuprofen to help with the pain. He’s been such a tough cookie.
“He has burnt in the sun before because he is very fair, which is why I always slather him in sun cream and keep topping it up every hour.
“I’m very shocked that it happened and feel guilty as I couldn’t do anything to take the pain away from him.
“He couldn’t even have a proper cuddle because it was just too painful for me to touch him.”
Miss Roberts has since made a complaint to EPS but says she is “disappointed” that they have not issued an apology.
The company said that, although it cannot comment on individual cases, it wants to reassure the public that its products meet all relevant local governing body regulations, including the required SPF (sun protection factor) tests.