The sunny weather is back upon us and doctors are warning that we all need to take special precautions to protect our skin from the rays of the sun.  Occasionally people forget  about those who need the most protection – children.  There is a still rare but increasing frequency of skin cancer, known as melanoma, amongst children.

The good news for children and adults alike is that skin cancer is a visible cancer. When melanoma is detected early and treated, it is very curable.

Fair skin, family history, lots of moles on the body or a history of sunburns and sun exposure increase the risk of developing skin cancer.

Young people should learn to be safe and avoid unprotected prolonged exposure to the sun early in life. Parents should take special care with small children in the sun year-round.

If skin is to be exposed to the sun, use sunscreen with an SPF, or sun protection factor, with an absolute minimum of 15 – higher is obviously better. An SPF of 15 is supposed to mean you can spend fifteen times longer in the sun than normal. Those with an SPF of 30 or higher provide the most protection against sunburn.  Apply sunscreen on a daily, regular basis, whether or not they’re outside all the time.  Because kids tend to be more active, they tend to sweat more, which will mean more frequent reapplications of sunscreen is required.

Purchase and teach your children to wear sunglasses that have UV-absorbing lenses. The label should specify that the lenses block at least 99 percent of UVA and UVB radiation. Sunglasses can protect both the eyes and the skin around the eyes.

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