10 Tips on How to Protect Your Kid from UV-Rays

The Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention journal published a study revealing that one should not neglect UV protection even at a very young age.

Scientists at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University conducted a research on the topic. Experts have been collecting data on skin cancer for 20 years. More than 100 thousand people from 14 different states have been examined.

The results of the study suggest that the risk of skin cancer increases by 80% if a person was repeatedly sunburnt at the age of 15 to 20 years (at least 5 cases of sunburn).

How can we assess these results? After all, we can not turn back time. This is true. However, we can do much for our daughters and sons. Do not forget to protect their skin with SPF products.

Children’s skin can hardly protect itself from sunlight. Tender and delicate, it is simply not able to produce sufficient melanin – the substance protecting against burns. Sunburns themselves cause much trouble, accompanied by itching, pain, and peeling. However, sunlight is necessary for your kid, because it triggers the production of vitamin D, which is important for the normal growth and development of the child’s body.

When it comes to protecting children’s skin from the sun, parents should remember the following few rules.

1. If your kid is less than 3 years old, playing under direct sunlight is strictly prohibited.
2. Protect your child from the sun by wearing a T-shirt, panama, and sunglasses.
3. Use a sunscreen with at least SPF-30 protection for sensitive child’s skin. It must be water resistant to protect the child while playing in the water or sand.
4. Do not allow your child to play outside between 12-16 p.m., when the sun is the most active.
5. Apply sunscreen every 2 hours and after each bathing.
6. Always apply a sufficient amount of the cream on the child’s skin. Wait until the cream is completely absorbed, and only then dress the child.
7. The face, nose, ears, neck, and shoulders should be particularly well protected from the sun, so apply the cream especially carefully there.
8. Even if your child is protected with clothing and sunscreen, do not let him or her play in the sun for too long – only under the beach umbrella or a sunshade.
9. When being in the sun, the child should drink much more than usual, since solar radiation caused an increased need for fluid.
10. After sunbathing, child’s skin needs gentle care, so use special after-sun products.