Light Therapy for Liver Dysfunction in Babies

A majority of newborns will develop jaundice during their first week of life. This yellow skin coloration and sclera is a result of increased serum bilirubin concentration due to the baby's liver which may not have completely developed. This is rarely a cause for concern. Most of the time, the jaundice will disappear by the seventh day without treatment. When treatment is considered necessary, phototherapy is the treatment of choice.

Phototherapy

• Discuss with your physician whether the necessary phototherapy, also called light therapy, should be done at home or at the hospital. This will generally be determined by the baby's bilirubin level. In either case, the baby will need to be unclothed and laid under special blue lights, sometimes referred to as bili lights, for a specific period of time. This light will help the baby's body convert the bilirubin into substances that are more readily eliminated from the body.

Natural Sunlight

• Do not put your baby in the sunlight to treat jaundice. It is not safe. Although sunlight can reduce the bilirubin level, the baby must be completely undressed to get the benefits of the natural sunlight. Undressing the baby can allow the child to get cold and may allow the tender newborn skin to become sunburned.

Considerations

• Light therapy for jaundiced infants may carry an increased risk of developing skin moles later in childhood. These moles may carry an increased risk for melanoma skin cancer.

  Breast-feeding of newborns has also been linked to an increased incidence of jaundice. However, the numerous benefits associated with breast-feeding are believed to far outweigh the slight risks of increased jaundice. Along with light therapy, more frequent feedings of breast milk or formula to help infants pass the bilirubin in their stools may be recommended.