A SCHOOLBOY was so badly sunburnt on holiday that he was left needing SURGERY for severe blisters all over his body – as his mum issues a warning over “out of date” or counterfeit sun creams.
Natalie Harvey had jetted off to Cape Verde with her partner Ben Limbrick, 40, and two sons Hector Harvey, 10, and Hugo Harvey, 15, on Friday, August 16th for a week in the sun.
Kennedy Newsand MediaHector, 10, developed 8cm yellow ‘watery’ blisters all over his body[/caption]
Kennedy Newsand MediaHis mum is now raising awareness of her son’s injuries[/caption]
Kennedy Newsand MediaThe 10-year-old underwent surgery at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham[/caption]
Throughout their vacation, the party of four claimed they used sun cream brought from the UK – which provided them with good protection from the sun.
But when they ran out of their lotion supply on the last day of the trip, Natalie’s partner Ben bought a bottle of SPF90 lotion from the hotel shop for him and Hector to use.
After applying the cream 30 minutes before venturing into the 29-degree heat, Natalie says Hector and Ben spent two hours enjoying the pool and sun before flying home.
The mum-of-two says she ‘continuously’ reapplied the sun cream on her son and thought she had followed all the right protocols to protect him from the hot weather.
It was only when Hector became drowsy and hot in the airport and then developed 8cm ‘watery’ blisters all over his body when they landed that the 47-year-old sought medical attention.
Horrifying photos show a red-faced Hector covered in yellow water-filled blisters on his chest, arms and shoulders.
After calling 111, Hector was admitted to the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham where he was treated for sunburn and underwent surgery to have his blisters popped and cleaned.
Natalie says the cause of her son’s burns has not yet been proven but claims doctors suggested the cream purchased abroad may have been out of date or counterfeit and therefore didn’t protect him from the sun.
I felt sick when I saw the blisters and I wished it was me
Natalie Harvey
The “heartbroken” teacher is now raising awareness of her son’s injuries to warn other parents about checking the star and UVA rating on suntan lotion purchased abroad to stop this from happening to their kids.
Natalie Harvey, from Nottingham, said: “On the last day we had none of our own sun cream left and Hugo and I were not bothered about going out but Hector wanted to go out [in the sun] because he had made lots of friends on the holiday.
“Ben was going to take Hector outside and we had seen in the hotel shop that they were selling sun cream and it was factor 90 so we thought it would be absolutely fine.
“We bought it and applied it in the apartment and waited 20 to 30 minutes or so before he went out in the sun to let the sun cream settle in.
“Hector went out to play and the sun cream was reapplied.
“Hector seemed absolutely fine until we got to the airport and he seemed to be quite drowsy and hot.
“At the airport, I bought some aloe vera just to help cool him down.
“When we got on the plane I told one of the stewardesses about what had happened and they said a similar thing had happened to her.
“He spent about two hours in the sun and it was about 29 degrees and I was continuously reapplying the sun cream in that time.
“I popped down into the sun for about 30 minutes and didn’t wear the cream and I didn’t have any issues but my partner Ben who also wore the sun cream was terribly burnt too.
“When Hector took his top off when we got home, he started blistering and they were about 8cm full of water. They were on his shoulders, top of his chest and back.
“I couldn’t believe he was sunburnt. He had been wearing the highest sun cream factor I had ever seen [spf 90] and he was burnt.
“I felt sick when I saw the blisters and I wished it was me.
“I couldn’t understand what had gone wrong. I knew I had reapplied the sun cream and done everything right and while I’m still beating myself up, it is incredibly unfair as I purchased something in good faith and it didn’t work.
‘COUNTERFEIT’
“The doctor said he had been to Cape Verde himself and said that there were numerous things that could have caused this.
“They suggested that the sun cream could be out of date and then further down the line, they said the sun cream could be counterfeit.
“When they popped the blisters in surgery he had to have gas and air and had to clean him up and bandage him to stop him getting any infections.”
After undergoing surgery, Hector was bandaged up to stop his injuries from getting infected and remained in the hospital until Wednesday, August 28th when he was discharged.
Fortunately, at his check-up appointment on Tuesday, September 3rd, Hector was able to have all his bandages removed and doctors say he won’t be left scarred for life from the incident.
Natalie said: “I don’t think he’ll be left with any scars but at the moment he’s blotchy and has lots of red patches all over him.
“He looks like he’s had hot water thrown over him.
“This skin will be extremely sensitive, particularly for the next two years.
“I’m always careful with my children wearing sun cream which is the heartbreaking thing about the situation.
“My children’s health and wellbeing is paramount and there is nothing more important, especially in the sun.
“When I was younger, I suffered some bad sunburn so I am so regimented with it with my kids.
“They always have sun cream in their bag and I always apply the once-a-day sun cream before school and we have never suffered anything like this before at all.
“I would say to other parents to take an extra bottle of your own sun cream instead and if you are going to buy sun cream abroad check whether the bottle has stars on it and its UVA rating too.
“For me personally I would never buy it again [sun cream] in another country.”
What does the UVA star rating mean?
THE star rating for sun cream bottles was developed to illustrate the balanced protection that a product offers against both UVA and UVB rays.
The index ranges from 0 to 5 stars. These indicate the percentage of UVA radiation absorbed by the sunscreen in comparison to UVB.
The higher number of stars means the more balanced that protection is.
You may also see the letters ‘UVA’ in a circle, which means the product has been approved by the EU.
It is another way of saying that the product provides good balanced protection against UVA and UVB.
Why should people care about choosing a sunscreen with high SPF and high UV protection?
Extended exposure to the sun can lead to skin damage, experts say.
There are four types of skin damage: skin ageing, hyperpigmentation, sunburns, and skin cancer.
“By protecting yourself from the sun, you reduce the likelihood of damaging your skin,” the British Association of Dermatologists says.
“Make use of the shade during the hours of high intensity (11am and 3pm in the UK typically), wear clothing that will shade your skin, and use sunscreen with at least SPF30 and either the UVA logo or 4 to 5 stars, making sure you’re applying it well and re-applying it regularly.”
Source: British Association of Dermatologists