Summer Sun Safety Part 4

We've helped you understand more about the different types of sun rays. We've given you tips on avoiding the sun and covering up. And we've taken a closer look at sunscreens.

This week we have another 2 tips to help you and your family survive the summer sun safely!

Use Protective Eyewear

Sun exposure damages the eyes as well as the skin. Even 1 day in the sun can result in a burned cornea. Cumulative exposure can lead to cataracts later in life. The best way to protect eyes is to wear sunglasses. Purchase sunglasses with labels ensuring that they provide 100% UV protection.

Double-Check Medication

Some medications increase the skin's sensitivity to UV rays. As a result, even kids with skin that tends not to burn easily can develop a severe sunburn in just minutes when taking certain medications. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if any prescription and over-the-counter medications your child is taking can increase sun sensitivity.

Next week before schools close off for the year and families begin their journey's to their holiday destinations, we'll bring you the final installment of our Summer Sun Safety campaign with tips on how to treat a sun burn - so keep a lookout for that!

Summer Sun Safety Part 3

We've already taken you through the different types of sun rays and why they are harmful to us. And last week we started to take a look at ways to prevent sun damaged. This week is all about sunscreen.

There are plenty of good sunscreens to suit everyone's needs; including formulations for sensitive skin, scented creams, long lasting, water and sweat proof, as well as easy-application varieties such as spray bottles.

What matters most when deciding which sunscreen to use, you need to focus mainly on the SPF (Sun Protection Factor) rating.

For children from 6 months and older, choose an SPF of 30 or higher to prevent sunburn and tanning. Choose a sunscreen stating that it protects from both UVA and UVB rays. To avoid possible skin allergy, do not use sunscreens with PABA; rather use a product with the active ingredient titanium dioxide.

Teenagers might try self-tanning lotions to get a tanned appearance. These offer an ulternative to ultraviolet exposure, but with little to no protection from UV light.

For sunscreen to do its job properly, it needs to be applied correctly. Make sure to:

• Apply sunscreen whenever kids will be in the sun.
  
• Apply sunscreen about 15 to 30 minutes before kids go outside so that a good layer of protection can form. Don't forget about lips, hands, ears, feet, shoulders, and behind the neck. Lift up bathing suit straps and apply sunscreen underneath them (in case the straps shift as a child moves).
  
• Don't try to stretch out a bottle of sunscreen; apply it generously.
  
• Reapply sunscreen often, approximately every 2 hours, as recommended by the American Academy of Dermatology. Reapply after a child has been sweating or swimming.
  
• Apply a waterproof sunscreen if kids will be around water or swimming. Water reflects and intensifies the sun's rays, so kids need protection that lasts. Waterproof sunscreens may last up to 80 minutes in the water, and some are also sweat- and rub-proof. But regardless of the waterproof label, be sure to reapply sunscreen when kids come out of the water.

And remember to reapply sunscreen if exposed to sun at a long period of time, i.e. spending the day at the beach.

Next week we take a look at more ways to prevent you and your family from sun damage. If you have any tips to share, please post them in the comments below, or send them to us via our Twitter account or Facebook page and we'll share them with our followers!




 

Summer Sun Safety Part 2

Last week we explained to you the different types of sun rays and how they can be harmful to you this Summer.

This week we start taking a look at ways you can protect yourself and your family this Summer!

Avoid the Strongest Rays of the Day

Seek shade when the sun is at it's highest overhead and therefore strongest, usually between 11am and 1pm. If you need to be in the sun between these hours, remember to apply and reapply protective sunscreen. Most sun damage comes as a result of incidental exposure during day-to-day activities, not just from being at the beach.

Clouds and pollution don't filter out UV rays, so even on cloudy, cool or overcast days, UV rays travel through the clouds and reflect off sand, water and even concrete. Often, kids are unaware that they're developing a sunburn on cooler or windy days because the temperature or breeze keeps skin feeling cool on the surface.

Cover Up

One of the best ways to protect your family from the sun is to cover up and shield skin from UV rays. Ensure that clothes will screen out harmful UV rays by placing your hand inside the garments and making sure you can't see it through them.

As infants (under 6 months) have thinner skin and underdeveloped melanin, their skin burns easier and therefore need to be kept completely out of the sun. Dress them in clothing that covers the body completely and make use of hats with wide brims. Also make use of an umbrella to create shade.


Keep an eye on our social media pages to catch our next Summer Sun Safety installment, where we'll be taking a closer look at sunscreen.

Summer Sun Safety

With Winter on its way out and Summer on its way in, there's no doubt we're going to start taking advantage of the warm Summer Sun as much as we can... but we have to ensure we do so safely if we want to enjoy it to the fullest.

In this first installment of our Summer Sun Safety series, we take a closer look at the rays we love to soak up so much.

We all need some sun exposure as it is our primary source of vitamin D, which helps us absorb calcium for stronger, healthier bones. It doesn't take much time in the sun for most people to get the vitamin D they need. Repeated unprotected exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays can cause skin damage, eye damage, immune system suppression, and skin cancer. Even people in their twenties can develop skin cancer.

The sun radiates light to the earth, and part of that light consists of invisible ultraviolet (UV) rays. When these rays reach the skin, they cause tanning, burning, and other skin damage.

Sunlight contains three types of ultraviolet rays:

1. UVA rays make up the majority of our sun exposure, can cause skin aging and wrinkling and contribute to skin cancer, such as melanoma.
2. UVB rays are mostly absorbed by the ozone layer, but enough of these rays pass through to cause serious damage, such as sunburns, cataracts, melanoma, and may effect the immune system.
3. UVC rays are the most dangerous, but fortunately, these rays are blocked by the ozone layer and don't reach the earth.

Most kids rack up a lot of their lifetime sun exposure before age 18, so it's important that parents teach their children how to enjoy fun in the sun safely. With the right precautions, you can greatly reduce your child's chance of developing skin cancer.

In the weeks to come we'll be taking a closer look and giving you tips on how to protect your family from exposure to UVA and UVB, the rays that cause skin damage.