It is well known that exposure to sunlight ultraviolet is the leading cause of skin cancer, one of the most common types of cancer, according to an online edition for girls and women aged 14 to 35. Pannochka. net Unfortunately, not all parents realize that solar radiation can pose a threat to sensitive baby skin: in the US, only 80% of parents know about it.

According to Dr. Lisa Chipps, professor of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (Los Angeles, USA), skin cancer is usually seen by the landlord exclusively as an adult problem, so parents do not think about the risk to children.

"At the same time, melanoma accounts for up to 3% of the total number of oncological diseases in children and up to 6% of oncological diseases among adolescents aged 15-19," Professor Chipps cites shocking figures in an interview with MNT.

In the United States at the moment there is no registry or database that would analyze the causes of skin cancer in children. And this is a big flaw, because even in 2013 in the journal Pediatrics it was reported that the incidence of melanoma in the United States in children 0-19 years since 1973 is growing at an average of 2% per year.

Although the diagnosis of skin cancer is very rare in the first years of a child's life, excessive radiation during this period may increase the risk of melanoma in the future. In other words, allowing the child to walk for a long time in the sun, parents, in ignorance of their own or by mistake, lay in his body a real time bomb that is unknown when it explodes.

Recent studies show that repeated sunburns in adolescence increase the risk of melanoma in the future by as much as 80%.

"Excess sun exposure and sunburns in childhood are very serious preventable risk factors for skin cancer. That's why it's extremely important for each of us to use sunscreen at any age, "explains Dr. Dawn Holman, representative of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But, as polls show, many parents are not aware of the dangers. The same survey conducted by Nivea Sun found that more than 50% of parents do not know that repeated sunburns lead to long-term damage to the skin of the baby, which is fraught with the development of cancer. And this situation is not only in the US, do not bother with illusions.

Shadow is the best sun protection for babies.

According to experts from the Skin Cancer Foundation (SCF), children under the age of 6 months should not be exposed to direct sunlight. Their delicate skin contains little pigment melanin, which should protect it from ultraviolet, so these children are extremely sensitive to the sun.

Therefore, the Skin Cancer Foundation recommends that all parents carry kids for a walk only in a stroller with a sun visor, and also try to avoid walks from 10:00 to 16:00, when the level of solar radiation is maximum.

Infants should be dressed in light but covered clothing that covers the handles and legs, and the face and neck should be protected by a wide-brimmed hat. When you travel in a car, it is very reasonable to cover the windows with special curtains.

As for sunscreen, although it is considered a universal and highly effective tool for all ages, American pediatricians are not advised to apply it to children under 6 months, including because of the risk of developing allergies.

"The skin of babies is not as mature as in adults, and the ratio of surface area to body weight is higher for them than for us. Both of these factors mean that the exposure of chemicals contained in the sunscreen to the baby's body will be stronger than that of the adult, "says Dr. Hari Cheryl Sachs, a pediatrician from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ).

"The best sun protection for babies is staying in the shade. If there is no natural shadow around, create your own with an umbrella or something like that. If there is no way to protect the child from the sun with clothes or shade, children's sunscreen can be used, but after consulting with the pediatrician, "Dr. Sachs recommends..

The Skin Cancer Foundation claims that sunscreens are safe for children 6-12 months, and if you still choose a cream for younger age, then choose a product with a minimum sunscreen factor of SPF 15.

Protection of children of preschool age.

When a child grows up, it becomes increasingly difficult to protect. Children increasingly play themselves in the courtyard or on the court, they are increasingly indulging and do not want to wear glasses and panama, and even more soap with sunscreen.

In 2004, Dr. Lori Steinberg Benjes, a dermatologist from Cambridge, published the results of an interesting study. She and her colleagues analyzed the situation with sun protection in children 6-18 months old.

The study showed that if in 6 months, sunburns occurred in 22% of children, but at the age of 18 months 54% of babies already encountered similar troubles. Scientists called the only reason for this phenomenon: difficulties with child control.

"Protecting children from the sun is a difficult but necessary and effective task for parents. It requires a lot of ingenuity and patience, "said Benes.

The study also found that after 18 months of age, the percentage of sunscreen cosmetics. According to the authors, this means that parents do not cope well with the control and increasingly solve the problem, just once smeared the baby with cream and with relief letting go to the street.

"Parents need to understand that sunscreens are a vital but not the only protection line. Correctly to dress the child is not less important. You should also instill in him habits that will allow yourself to avoid unnecessary exposure to the sun in later life, "says Dr. Perry Robins, president of the Skin Cancer Foundation.

School to help you.

For school-age children, the rules for sun protection remain the same: use sunscreen cosmetics, wear closed clothing and stay out of the shade during the hot time of the day.

Of course, parents have other concerns when they send a child to school, but this does not mean that protection from ultraviolet can be neglected.

"To prepare children in the morning to school means to cook breakfast, pack lunch, pick up clothes, find shoes / notebook / pencil case and more. As a mom, I strongly recommend making sun protection a routine part of your fees. I keep sunscreen in the bathroom, so my children can apply it immediately after washing and brushing their teeth, "says Professor Chipps.

But how can parents be sure that the child observes the precautionary measures while in school without their supervision?.

Skin Cancer Foundation experts say that sometimes schools can come to your rescue, but sometimes they can become a real obstacle.

Some American schools consider sunscreen cosmetics as a medicine, requiring students to have written permission from their parents for its use. Sometimes they even insist that this medicine be applied only by the school nurse. Other educational institutions generally prohibit the wearing of hats and sunglasses in the school yard during the school hours.

Fortunately, our schools do not differ in this level of bureaucracy and reinsurance, so the written permission for a cream from your children will not clearly require. But there is another problem - the joint upbringing of the child's healthy habits.

"The school can play a big role in this matter. Statistics show that educational and educational activities in kindergartens, secondary schools and colleges can be an effective tool in the formation of healthy habits in the child, "says Dr. Holman from CDC.

To do this, teachers should tell students about the risks of ultraviolet radiation and about the methods of prevention, and together with parents introduce measures to protect children from excessive sun exposure. This greatly depends on the health of the future generation.

Adolescents and sunburn.

We all know very well how to be a teenager. This is the time when you crave to attract the opposite sex and meet certain "standards" of beauty. And for many teenage girls, attractiveness means bronze tanning.

Unfortunately, many adolescents and adults do not realize that any tan is nothing but a sign of skin damage by ultraviolet light. The skin becomes dark due to the increase in melanin production, through which the body strives to protect its cells from further destruction.

Attempts to get an attractive tan turn into serious health consequences, which can appear not immediately, but after many years.

Tim Turnham, executive director of the Melanoma Research Foundation, told the MNT in an interview: "Despite raising awareness about the dangers of UV radiation, people still continue to put themselves at risk in the name of" healthy sunburn ". This is especially true of adolescents and young people who are trying to improve their peer position and gain popularity. We know that this is contagious: many teenagers tend to tan to just be "like everyone else".

The desire to be "like everyone" pushes teenagers in a solarium. According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), about 17% of teenagers in the US admit that they visit the solarium.

But after all, solariums are associated with a multiple increase in the risk of skin cancer. The rays of the artificial sun can be 10-15 more powerful than the natural light at the zenith on the hottest summer day.

A study in 2014 suggests that in the United States more than 100,000 skin cancers occur each year through the fault of tanning beds - a huge blow to the health of the nation.

In the same year, US scientists reported that solariums in the US are the main cause of basal cell carcinoma in adolescents.

And the reason - just a rash desire to match the "standard"!.

Therefore, the best way to protect a teenager from a treacherous ultraviolet is to correctly inform him and be an example for him. As SCF experts say, the most important thing for parents is to remember that they serve as role models. Including in the preservation of their health.

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