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Childhood Skin Conditions





Sun

Demystifying Sun Protection

We all know we should protect our skin from the harmful effects of the sun however, recent studies are telling us, as a result we are missing out on a vital source of vitamin D.  How much is too much unprotected sun exposure?

I am in the business of skin preservation and last summer I had an interesting conversation with a customer.  She, like many New Zealanders does not use sun screen because as a nation she believes we are vitamin D deficient and sun screen is the root of this deficiency.

Vitamin D deficiency has declined due to our lifestyles more so than the use of sunscreen.  No longer are we outdoors like we use to be.  In fact sunsmart* state that sensible sun protection behavior should not put you at risk of vitamin D deficiency.  Someone who burns easily only needs 5 minutes of unprotected sun exposure before 11 am and after 4 pm to maintain adequate vitamin D levels.  Now lets be honest even the most sun smart of us gets that every day! 
 
Aside of the fact that there are reported to be around 50 000 new cases of skin cancer every year, protecting yourself from the sun also protects you from pre mature ageing and photo damage which causes uneven pigmentation, brown spots and wrinkles on your skin.   Children who are exposed to the sun without protection have a higher risk later on in life to have problems associated with UV damage.
 

Some sunscreen Facts:
•    Last seasons open bottle of sunscreen is no good to you-throw it out and start again.  Once open we recommend you use your sunscreen within 9 months.  Once the active ingredients are exposed to air and light their effectiveness diminishes.
•    SPF is the sun protection factor.  The higher the SPF the longer you can stay in the sun before reapplying your sunscreen.  For example an SPF of 15 means that you can stay in the sun 150 times longer than you would if you did not wear sunscreen so  if it takes your skin 10 minutes to burn in the sun then you can safely stay out for approx 2.5 hours before reapplying your sunscreen.
•    Apply sun screen liberally.  Many of us use too little sun screen.
•    Apply your sun screen at least 20 minutes before exposure.
•    The higher the SPF the higher the chemical content in the sunscreen. If your excuse to not use a sun screen is due to skin reaction stick to a low SPF (no lower than 15).  By keeping the chemical content low you are less likely to react to the sun screen.
•    Over 300 New Zealanders die from skin cancer every year.
•    Skin Cancer is the most common form of cancer affecting New Zealanders today.
•    Most skin cancer is preventable!

* http://www.sunsmart.org.nz/

Back to School Lunch Box Essential.

With school back our thoughts are often about healthy lunch box options.  While contemplating low fat and sugar free options for children to eat we also need to be thinking about the time of day our kids are outside on their break. 
Although many New Zealand schools now require that children wear sun hats and provide a shady spot to sit, once the contents of the lunch box is consumed our kids are running around unprotected. 
According to Sun Smart NZ skin can burn in as little as 15 minutes in mid day sun – the time in which our kids are on their lunch hour!
When my oldest daughter was younger I started packing a tube of sun screen in her lunch box.  Before starting her lunch she would apply her sunscreen so by the time she had finished her lunch she was nicely protected against the harmful effects of the sun.  I have since done this with all my children who have learned coming home from school sunburned is much worse than not eating the healthy stuff in the lunch box.

Teach you child that:
•    Sun burn is harmful
•    To apply sun screen to their face, arms and legs before eating their lunch to allow time for active ingredients to work.
•    You may like to include a wet wipe or hand sanitizer to use before eating lunch.
•    Keep the tube in the lunch box so it will get used
•    Don’t think if it does not get used the first time that your efforts a futile, keep encouraging and your child will soon learn.
•    Getting into good habits now can protect your child for a lifetime.

BabyBaby sunscreen is safe for the whole family and protects against UVA and UVB rays.  Older children can use 2B sunscreen which provides extra anti oxidants for long term skin benefits. 



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