As summer kicks off and your kids trade their books for boogie boards,
it’s time to remember that no one is too young to take precautions against
skin cancer.
Skin cancers of all types are often the results of cumulative sun exposure.
The more blistering sun burns you have as a child, the higher your risk
of cancer later in life. So prevention against sun cancer should really
begin at birth.
Keeping babies under the age of 6 months out of the sun and correctly applying
sunscreen to all children (and adults) are keys to reversing the alarming
rise of skin cancer.
Melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, is on the rise in both adults
and children. A 2013 study published in the journal
Pediatrics suggested that diagnoses are rising among teenagers by as much as 2% each
year. And last year the
Journal of Investigative Dermatology published evidence that UV exposure may play a more significant role than
previously thought, particularly for pediatric melanoma.
None of us parents are perfect. Even as a
Hoag Medical Group pediatrician, my three children still come home from time to time with sunburn. We
want to encourage our kids to go outside and play – but do so safely.
Wearing tight-weave clothing, wide-brimmed hats, UV-blocking sun glasses
and sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB rays is important. So is teaching
our children to seek out shade.
Another important lesson to impart is how to apply sunscreen correctly.
We should all apply a sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of
at least 15 a good 20 minutes before going out into the sun. We should
then re-apply it generously every two hours, or more often if we are swimming
or sweating.
While most sunscreens are not recommended for kids less than 6 months,
a few dabs on hard-to-swaddle areas like the tip of a baby’s nose
might be a good idea if shade is not easy to come by.
Even if you buy all the right products and drill into your kids the importance
of sun safety, the occasional sunburn is virtually unavoidable. Kids,
I’m sure it won’t shock anyone to read, don’t always
follow our direction to the letter. The best thing to do is assess the
sunburn six to 12 hours after exposure: If the burn blisters, or if your
child experiences fevers or chills, call their doctor.
If not, put a cool compress on it or put them in a cool bath. Avoid the
sun for 24 hours, and give them some acetaminophen for the pain.
Most importantly, use the experience as a teachable moment. The searing
pain of sunburn is something we all want our kids to avoid. But at least
that particular lesson of sun safety will be more than skin deep.
Kristy Tolly, MD, FAAP, is a Hoag Medical Group pediatrician.