A severe sunburn is dangerous for a small child in both the immediate and the distant future. It has been unequivocally proved that severe sunburns in childhood increases the risk of developing melanoma in later life. Studies show that most of the cumulative ultraviolet radiation absorbed by a person during his or her lifetime is absorbed during the first 18 years. The amount of radiation to which children and teenagers are exposed is one of the primary causes of sun-induce damage to the skin and of the later risk of developing skin cancer.
HOW TO PROTECT THE SKIN OF INFANTS
Until the infant is six months old, he or she should not be exposed to the sun between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., and a child under the age of one year should not be taken to the beach or swimming pool during the late morning and early afternoon hours. Whenever the infant leaves the house, the amount of time spent in the sun, including going from one shady spot to the next, should be kept to an absolute minimum, and the baby carriage should be covered with a sun shade. The most effective means of protection is clothing which covers the body: a shirt with long sleeves, pants, socks, and if the child is old enough, a wide-brimmed hat. A sunscreen should not be applied to the skin of an infant younger than six months because of the risk of an allergic reaction.
A sunscreen with a sun protection factor of 15 should be applied to exposed areas of the skin of infants older than six months of age. The best sunscreen for a child of this age is a non-chemical one, containing titanium oxide, and not a sunscreen containing chemical substances which might cause an allergic reaction or tearing eyes.
HOW TO PROTECT THE SKIN OF CHILDREN
It is important that children wear suitable clothing, that they not remove their shirts out of doors, that they wear wide-brimmed hats and wear sunglasses that screen ultraviolet radiation. Before leaving the house in the morning, a sunscreen should be applied to all exposed areas of the body. A parent should make sure that the rules for protecting the skin are followed when the child is away from home: at the day-care center, in the kindergarten, at school, at camp, etc. Kindergarten and other teachers should be requested to plan outdoor activities and gym lessons before 10 a.m.
A study recently done showed that hats which do not have wide brims are not effective in protecting the face from the sun. A British researcher named Duffy examined the amount of protection afforded by 28 different types of hats. He found that all of them protected the forehead but that none of them protected the chin. The study showed that a hat with a visor protects the nose but leaves the rest of the face exposed to radiation. On the other hand, a hat with a brim 5-7 centimeters (2-3 inches) wide gives the face the same protection as a sunscreen with an SPF of 3. Since that is a relatively low factor, in addition to wearing a hat, a sunscreen should be applied.
HOW TO PROTECT THE SKIN OF TEENAGERS
Teen-aged children have to be very courageous and secure to protect themselves from the sun. Unfortunately, young people are under a great deal of social pressure to meet their friends at the beach on the weekends, to broil together during the hottest hours and to return home lobster-red but happy. The skin peels a few days later and gives them the mistaken impression that the damage has been repaired and that they can continue broiling themselves the following week. In research done on several hundred teenagers it was found that despite their awareness of the damages of solar radiation, they continued exposing themselves to the sun, especially at the beach and swimming pool during the hottest hours of the day. Only 80% of the girls and 40% of the boys used a sunscreen, and those who did use them applied them in ways which did not provide adequate protection.
SEVEN RULES FOR PROTECTING CHILDREN FROM THE SUN
Keep infants and children out of the sun during the heat of the day.
Dress children in suitable clothing.
Keep an eye on the clock.
Use a sunscreen.
Beware of reflected light.
Check you own skin and that of your children frequently.
Give your children a personal example.
IMPORTANT!
In a study done in northern Europe, it was found that people who work in offices and spend their two weeks of vacation on the beach in a hot country are exposed to the same amount of UVB that they receive during the rest of the year.
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