Recent news seems to be full of advice and information about protecting babies from the dangers of sun exposure. This is good. The Skin Cancer Foundation says that even one childhood sunburn doubles the risk of skin cancer later in life. And, the risk of developing melanoma, the most deadly of all skin cancers, doubles for those who have had five or more sunburns at any age. So, parents taking care that their babies are not exposed to the dangers of UV rays from the sun is a welcome and overdue trend.
However, most advice focuses first on using sun block. While sun block should be used…and make no mistake about that…the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends sun block in combination with sun protection clothing. This is an important distinction.
Babies-and all children and adults-should wear hats and long sleeve shirts while in the sun. Sun block should be applied to uncovered areas of the skin. And it should be reapplied at least every two hours. And, everyone should stay out of the sun during peak hours, usually 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.
