Beat sun burn, and help safeguard from future problems
There are a lot of precautions we can take to shield our children from sun damage.
The “slip,slop,slap” message is etched into most parents’ brains. The majority of the parents will place a hat on their children’s heads as well as apply sunscreen all over their bodies prior to bringing them out in the sun.
But, as summer starts to fire up, Australia remains the skin cancer capital of the world, and every week kids of all ages are getting sunburnt, dramatically increasing their risk of skin cancer later in life. Now, what other precautions can parents take to keep their children safe and sound from the menacing sun?
Summer just isn’t safe
Just when you thought the weather is good enough to bring your children out , the UV index ( which is a measurement of the intensity of the sun’s ultraviolet rays ) shoots up to undesirable levels, making the entire sun dangerous. Skin cancer professionals are straight forward in their thoughts : Never allow your children to be out in the sun between 10am and 4 pm during the peak period of summer.
The idea is not to make parents afraid of letting their kids play outside, we have a great country to get out there and enjoy, but every time you go out in the sun, you’re cranking up your risk of skin cancer.
The damage is caused in the early stages of childhood
One blistering sunburn in childhood or adolescence more than doubles a person’s chances of developing melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, later in life. The risk of developing melanoma also doubles if a person has had five or more sunburns at any age, according to the US Skin Cancer Foundation. 99 % of non-melanoma skin cancers as well as 95% of melanoma skin cancers in Australia are attributed to intensive exposure to the sun. It’s important to protect our skin from the sun at all ages, but it’s particularly important to avoid exposure in childhood. Yet Australian Cancer Council figures estimate that 24 per cent of teenagers and eight per cent of children still get sunburnt on a typical summer weekend.
Sunscreen is not foolproof
Depending on sunscreen alone is just not sufficent enough to shield children from the sun. It should not be the first line of a defence but a supplement to wearing protective clothing and staying in the shade. A Majority of the people don’t apply sufficient sunscreen lotion , cover all the areas which are exposed to the sun or reuse the lotion within 2 hours. All of these factors will significantly decrease the effectiveness of the lotion.
Take note of and use the UV index
Keeping an eye on the UV index each day is another good tactic. The World Health Organization recommends protection be used when the index reaches 3 or above. Typically , during the summer period in most of the parts in Australia, the UV index recorded is considerably high, much higher than this level. Parents should schedule outings for early in the morning or after 4pm, when the UV index is at its lowest. Kids need to wear sunscreen, protective clothing and a hat, and they should be in the shade at all times. There are numerous mobile phone apps which gives you real-time UV information and these apps can furnish you the UV level as well as the sun-protection times.
