High-Risk Alert: Sun Protection for Tweens and Teens
It is never to early to start protecting your children against sun damage, and if you are the parent of a young girl this message is especially important.
Melanoma, a potentially fatal skin cancer, is the most common cancer in young women between the ages of 25 and 29. Much of the damage from the sun in these patients will already have occurred in their teens.
- Use self-tanning creams.
Tanning beds are not good for anyone. Teenagers and young adults looking to get that perfect tan should use tanning creams to get a safe summer glow.
- Be wary of freckles.
Developing freckles may be a sign that the skin has sustained early sun damage.
- Apply sunscreen generously.
Teens and tweens should apply sunscreen to the entire surface of their body about 30 minutes before going outside; if they are swimming , they should reapply once they are out of the water. Parents should apply approximately one ounce of sunscreen to their infant's body as well.
- Make it easy.
Parents of tweens should find a spray-form sunscreen that is waterproof and sweat proof. This will make it more convenient to apply sunscreen to your growing child every day, and be more effective.
- Minimize exposure to the sun In addition to applying sunscreen, everyone should be guarding against the sun with hats, sunglasses and umbrellas when appropriate. Babies up to 6 months of age should be kept out of the sun completly.