Are there any side effects to blue light therapy for babies

Some newborn babies may develop jaundice due to certain factors. There is no need to worry about mild jaundice. Just drink more milk and urinate more, and they will recover in a few days. If it is more serious, it can be treated by blue light exposure. At this time, some mothers may not remain calm because they are afraid that the baby will be affected by blue light. So, does blue light treatment for babies have side effects?

Is it good to expose babies to blue light?

For infants with pathological jaundice, blue light irradiation is the most direct, safe and effective treatment method. Typically, most hospitals have a blue light box in their neonatal wards.

The purpose of exposing babies to blue light is to convert indirect bilirubin into water-soluble substances and excrete them through the baby's urine. Because indirect bilirubin cannot be excreted naturally from the urine, only direct bilirubin is water-soluble and can be excreted from the urine. Bilirubin converted by blue light irradiation can also be excreted from the urine. These two pathways can accelerate the disappearance of jaundice.

It is very safe for babies to be exposed to blue light, but care must be taken to protect the baby's eyes and external genitalia during the exposure process. Because the temperature inside the box is relatively high during the blue light exposure process, the baby's moisture will evaporate faster, which is also called insensible water loss. Therefore, you should pay attention to replenishing the baby with water, and babies who are breastfed should be fed more milk. During the blue light exposure process, the baby may develop a rash, which is a normal phenomenon and will disappear naturally after the baby comes out of the blue light box.

During the period of blue light exposure, the color of the baby's stool will turn yellow-green, and the color will be darker than before the blue light exposure. This is due to the excretion of bilirubin, so parents do not need to panic. In addition, the baby's bowel movements will increase, which is also beneficial to the excretion of bilirubin. Usually, the symptoms of blue light exposure are mainly increased indirect bilirubin. If the direct bilirubin is increased, there is no need to use blue light exposure because blue light exposure will convert direct bilirubin into a substance called bilebrown, which will then be seen as a bronze color on the baby's skin. (What does healthy stool look like for your baby?)

Are there any side effects of blue light exposure for babies?

Blue light irradiation for babies is very safe. The only side effects are occasional fever, rash, and diarrhea. Blue light irradiation causes jaundice on the surface of the baby's skin. After a period of time, the deep jaundice will appear on the surface of the baby's skin. This is not a recurrence of jaundice, but a normal phenomenon. The baby's discomfort symptoms will disappear after the irradiation stops.