There’s nothing more important than keeping your little ones safe. With this in mind one of the most common risks when on holiday is the danger of sun exposure. A warm beach holiday can be a lot of fun for you and your family but staying sun safe should never be too far from your mind. There are many surprising facts that you need to know in order to fully protect yourself and your kids from the sun.
What’s So Dangerous About The Sun?
The sun projects both UVA and UVB rays which are dangerous to our health.
UVA rays can lead to all sorts of nasty future problems such as an increased risk of skin cancer. What most people don’t know is that UVA rays are not blocked by clouds as so still pose a real risk to you and your kids on a cloudy day in summer. UVA rays are also not weakened by you having a tan as this only adds a false sense of security and stops you getting sunburnt.
UVB rays are what give you sun burn and heat stroke when exposed for too long. Unlike UVA rays having darker skin or the day been cloudy can reduce their effects. UVB rays also increase your risk of skin cancer and other lead to premature skin aging.
Eye Protection
Sun glasses are a vital piece of sun protection for you and your children. Sunglasses help to protect your eyes from sun exposure which can lead to cataracts, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) as well as protect the skin around the eyes from premature aging. Sunglasses also help stop your children getting sand in their eyes which can lead to damage as they try and rub it out.
It is highly important to pick the right kind of sunglasses to properly protect your eyes. Not all sunglasses offer UV protection and also darker tints don’t mean more protection as many believe. Because of this it is important to buy high quality glasses which will give you proper UV protection.
Skin Protection
Because of all the nasty things the sun exposes us to as talked about above it is extremely important to use the right kind of sun protection on your little ones skin. Sun cream comes with a standard FPS protection that ranges from 5 low to 50+ high. It is a good idea when thinking of your children’s health to only use sun creams of 30 or higher. Children with fair skin or exposed moles are even more at risk so I would say using a factor 50 is essential.
Sun cream should be applied at least half an hour before sun exposure to let it properly settle in and usually needs to be replied every few hours, although it is always best to check the back of the bottle for usage advice.
Photo by: Katherine Johnson
