Now that summer has finally arrived and many of you are headed to the beach, we thought it would be a good idea to get you up-to-date on the recommendations about sunscreen and good resources for staying safe in the sun.
The AAP’s Healthy Children website has a great summary article here: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-play/Pages/Sun-Safety.aspx
The Environmental Working Group annually publishes a review of sunscreens so that you’ll know exactly what to get: http://www.ewg.org/2015sunscreen/
The New York Times also recently published an article with links to recent research about sun’s effect on our skin: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/29/with-summer-sun-come-signs-of-danger/?em_pos=small&emc=edit_hh_20150630&nl=health&nlid=19505454&ref=headline&_r=0
A few tips:
- Don’t just rely on sunscreen. Hats, sunglasses, lightweight long-sleeved shirts and long pants, and umbrellas are all excellent ways to be outdoors and avoid the worst of the sun’s rays. This is particularly important for infants, whose skin is more sensitive than adults. (It is OK to use sunscreen on small areas of a baby under 6 months, but only if shade is not available)
- Don’t forget to re-apply sunscreen throughout the day, and be sure to use a ‘broad-spectrum’ sunscreen such as zinc oxide which will protect against both UV-A and UV-B rays (both can cause skin damage, but many sunscreens only protect against UV-B)
- Don’t ignore the sunscreen on cloudy days! Clouds may only block 20 or 30% of the UV rays, which leave plenty to cause sunburn.
So get on outside and enjoy the summer!! (Just keep your skin safe while you’re doing it)
