Protecting Children from the Sun

It is widely known that sun lotion is necessary in order to protect your skin from the sun, but it is less well known that sun lotion on its own does not offer satisfactory protection and that other measures should be taken too.  Children's skin is far more gentle than adult skin and will burn in the sun much more quickly so it is even more important that further precaution is taken.

Sunlight includes two forms of ultra violet radiation - UVA and UVB.  UVB is responsible for sunburn and sun lotion measured in Sun Protection Factor (SPF) protects mostly against this form of UV.  UVA is responsible for the most dangerous form of skin cancer - malignant melanoma, yet UVA protection is barely considered when buying sun screen.

In addition to applying sun lotion, make sure you take other precautions for your children too:-

• Dress them in clothes that cover their arms and legs
• Dress them in swimsuits if you're at an outdoor pool or at the beach
• Have them wear hats and UV protective sunglasses
• Stay in the shade during the peak of the day (11am - 3pm)
• Continue to apply sun cream, with an SPF of at least 30 but ideally higher, throughout the day to ensure they are protected from UVA rays