Staying Safe in the Sun with the Family

As temperatures warm and the sun is out more regularly, the family is bound to spend more time in the sun. Consider school closing for the summer and family trips to the beach and it is easy to understand why proper skin protection is so important, especially for young kids.

It is no secret ultraviolet rays cause damage to skin cells and have an active role in causing skin cancer. To make things worse, the damage builds over time. To stay as active as possible in reducing the impact of ultraviolet rays on our skin, make sure to stay out of the sun, and, if that is impossible, stay protected.

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, the sun protection factor is the measure of how long sunscreen provides protection for. The foundation notes that, in everyday use, SPF 15 is acceptable, and in rigorous or extended periods of time in the sun, SPF 30, as a minimum, should be used.

Clouds are one of the biggest threats to skin health. That is not to imply clouds are responsible themselves for the damage from UV rays, but clouds do have the effect of tricking people into not wearing sunscreen. Clouds do a lousy job of blocking harmful rays, though, so sunblock should still be used even if you can’t actually see the sun when the kids are going outside.

Applying suntan lotion on the beach. Photo: Mauricio Jordan De Souza Coelho | Dreamstime.com

Even though its nearing summer, temperatures are not always going to be unbearable. On cool days, have the kids wear jeans or long sleeves, assuming the weather allows it without being too uncomfortable or dangerous. It isn’t always a viable option, but keeping sunlight from hitting skin and doing damage will always be the preferential option. Similarly, if you don’t have any sunblock, consider keeping kids inside until the sun begins going down.

If the family likes to accessorize, consider getting baseball caps or wide-brimmed hats for each member of the family. When used with sunscreen, appropriate clothing can go a long way toward reducing sun-damaged skin.

If you and your children do not plan on being especially active, but still want to be outside, consider an umbrella or otherwise looking for shade. This is a great option for beach days, but the family should still load up on sunblock.

The most dangerous times of day in the sun is 10 a.m.–4 p.m. These are the hours where the sun is directly overhead, or close to it, and its rays are most destructive.