We recently discussed how people are dying nasty deaths because they can't manage to get 15 minutes of exposure to sunlight a day. Today we look at why you should be afraid to ever expose your child to the sun's harmful rays at all.
A helpful worry-inducing article from one of my favorite panic inducers, Parent's Magazine, provides many reasons to be afraid of the sun.
According to the article, "new research has found that overall sun exposure in childhood -- not just burns -- significantly increases the risk of skin cancer."
The author warns that normal approaches aren't going to protect your child. SPF 50 sunblock only works if you slather on a gallon of it, and reapply every time they even think about taking a swim.
Tans are bad: "We know now that the more sun your child gets, the more likely he or she is to develop basal-cell and squamous-cell skin cancers," says Dr. Eichenfield. "Any sign of color means that the skin has been damaged."
You can run, but you can't hide. Those harmful UVA rays will sneak in through closed windows and give us all cancer.
What to do?
Slather on the broad-spectrum sunscreen (remember when we used to call this "sun tan" lotion?).
Limit the time your kid spends in the sun during 10:00am and 4:00pm.
Make sure they wear a broad-brimmed hat, sun protective clothing, and sunglasses.
Hey kids, let's have a Burqa party!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment