Do You Put Enough Sun Cream On Your Child?

According to the Daily Mail, one in ten parents do not put enough suncream on their children! This is a staggeringly high figure when you consider that British children have the highest rates of skin cancer in Europe and that the previously price-prohibitive lotions are now cheaper than ever before.

The study carried out by SunSense (an Australian suncare brand) found that a quarter of parents don't think it necessary to apply sun cream before going off to school or nursery every morning in the summer months.

The fact remains that although it seems the British sun is a less frequent visitor and that it feels less "hot" than when abroad, we do still need to protect our children's skin. On a cloudy day, 80% of the harmful UV rays still penetrate the cloud which is why getting sun burned can happen when it's not bright sunshine.

Children are exposed to greater levels of UV rays than adults. They play outdoors, they are more inclined to wear shorts and sleeveless t-shirts and they have long summer holidays which are filled with playing in local parks and gardens where the sun beats down.

Sunburn in chidren can double the risk of skin cancer causing deep seated damage that only becomes apparent later in life.

UVA OR UVB Protection?

UVA light is made up of:

• UVA rays: these are the rays that cause premature aging

• and UVB rays:these are the rays that cause burning.

BOTH increase the risk of skin cancer.

Ratings

The sunscreens that offer the best protection are those that have both high UVA and UVB protection. The UVA rating is not always listed on suncream. It is measured in stars out of five (the best being five out of five). The UVB rating is measured in SPF (Skin Protection Factor). A high UVB rating  is around 50 although some brands go even higher!

Children should always wear sun screen with an SPF of at least 30 and for small children it should be at least 40.

Application

Sun cream should be applied 30 minutes before going into the sun and re-applied every 2-3 hours. If you go swimming, it should be applied again after drying off.

How Much?

People often don't put enough sun screen on their children. About 1-2 tablespoons should be enough to apply for a baby. About 2-3 tablespoons for an older child and adult.

Enjoy the sun... but be careful!