What Is Phototherapy?

By Leva

Yellowing of the skin, or jaundice, can be a normal occurrence for a newborn. If this happens to your baby, should you worry? You might ask, must you immediately bring your child to the doctor? What can you do if this happens to your baby?

The baby’s yellow skin occurs due to a phenomenon called hyperbilirubinemia, wherein there is a buildup of the bilirubin in the body. Bilirubin is a yellow pigment coming from the iron released by old and destroyed red blood cells. If there are no problems, bilirubin is usually excreted through bile and into urine and stool. 

Some newborns are more susceptible to jaundice, but that doesn’t mean that there is something wrong with them. It also doesn’t mean that you did something wrong. If you find your baby to be yellow, do not feel bad. It is not your fault and know that this is a phenomenon that can happen in 10% of babies. It is important to know that jaundice is more often than not self-limiting, meaning it can resolve on its own. However there are certain things that can be done to speed up the breakdown of bilirubin and hasten the removal of the excess in the body.  What can be done if your baby becomes jaundiced? Phototherapy, which means “light therapy” is a treatment we can do if your newborn appears yellow. 

Phototherapy is making use of light, whether sunlight or a similar form of light in order to remove accumulated bilirubin in the body. How can phototherapy decrease the yellowish color of your baby’s skin? It makes use of light energy to change the form of bilirubin so that it can be excreted in the urine and stool. Bilirubin absorbs the light and undergoes structural changes which convert it into a nontoxic, water soluble form. The light that can best do this is within the blue wavelengths of 460-490 nm. 

At home, you can already lessen the yellowing of the skin in an easy and cost effective manner. What can you do at home? It is very easy to do. By simply exposing your baby to sunlight (preferably filtered with tinting films), you can decrease the bilirubin levels in the body.  Sunlight exposure is not only a source of vitamin D for your baby, but it can also be used to treat mild jaundice. Not only is it simple, but it is cost effective as well. In the hospital, there are machines that can emit light within these blue wavelengths to decrease jaundice for admitted babies. These are placed over the baby and are turned on for hours in a day, sometimes continuously for babies with very high levels of bilirubin. However, if your baby will be placed under these machines, the eyes and genitals should be covered and protected because of UV exposure. 

Jaundice is usually not a cause of worry, especially if we know the signs and symptoms that can act as warnings or signals as to when your baby should be evaluated by a medical expert. However, if these signs and symptoms are not present, the yellowish color can be observed and resolved at home.