When using phototherapy to treat jaundice, babies need to take off their clothes and expose their skin, and need to cover their eyes and external genitalia.
1. bare skin: baby jaundice is due to elevated bilirubin in the blood, blue light irradiation treatment can make the bilirubin molecules in the superficial capillaries undergo light energy changes, transformed into water-soluble non-neurotoxic molecules, and discharged out of the body through the urine. Light needs to be directly irradiated to the skin in order for the above reaction to occur, so the skin should be exposed as much as possible during phototherapy.
2. Covering the eyes and external genitalia: continuous phototherapy may cause retinal damage, so babies undergoing phototherapy should cover their eyes with an opaque eye mask. The skin of the external genitalia is relatively tender and has mucosal tissue, which should be covered to avoid light exposure.
The use of phototherapy for jaundice in babies should be under the supervision of a pediatrician, and the duration of phototherapy should be determined according to the severity of the disease, along with rehydration and other treatments.