Don't Let Your Tween Forget the Sunscreen!

Source: Tween Parent Staff

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Remember the days of baby oil as a "tanning" aid...with iodine mixed in for good measure? How about covering a record album with aluminum foil and reflecting the sun on your face! Ouch, it hurts just thinking about it! Luckily, we've come a long way in understanding the risks of sun exposure. Actually, it wasn't until the 1950s that tanning came into style in the first place. Prior to that, the phrase "healthy good color" related to sun exposure wasn't a phrase we'd often hear - in fact, even now it's somewhat of an oxymoron to have the words "healthy" and "good color" in the same sentence!

Sun Facts to Share with Your Pre-Teen

With all of the research and articles related to the sun's effect on skin, we implicitly know we have to be careful. But, as a tween who is struggling for independence, looking for every opportunity to be "responsible" and not always by our sides, it can't hurt to point out some of the dangers of overexposure to the sun.

• A tan is the skin's response to injury caused by exposure to the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays*.

• Most kids accumulate between 50% and 80% of their lifetime sun exposure before age 18, so responsible skin care is very important.

• Over 80% of the signs of skin aging in adults result from their tans as teens.

• More than one million new cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year.

• While the sun is cited for the benefits of vitamin D, most people get enough vitamin D from the fortified foods they eat.

• Even on cloudy, cool, or overcast days, UV rays travel through the clouds and reflect off sand, water, and even concrete. Clouds and pollution don't filter out UV rays, and they can give a false sense of protection.

• Most sun damage occurs as a result of incidental exposure during day-to-day activities, not at the beach.

• Unprotected sun exposure is even more dangerous for kids with: moles on their skin (or whose parents have a tendency to develop moles); very fair skin and hair; a family history of skin cancer, including melanoma.

• The intensity of the sun's rays depends upon the time of year, as well as the altitude and latitude of your location. UV rays are strongest during summer.

How to Best Protect from the Sun

• The American Academy of Dermatology recommends that, regardless of skin type, a broad-spectrum (protects against UVA and UVB rays) sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 15 should be used year-round.

• Avoid the strongest rays of the day (normally between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm).

• Ensure that clothes will screen out harmful UV rays by placing your hand inside the garments and making sure the weave is tight enough so that you can't see your hand through the item of clothing.

• Don't reserve the use of sunscreen only for sunny days. Even on a cloudy day, up to 80% of the sun's ultraviolet rays can pass through the clouds. In addition, sand reflects 25% of the sun's rays and snow reflects 80% of the sun's rays.

• Sunscreens should be applied to dry skin 15-30 minutes before going outdoors. One ounce, enough to fill a shot glass, is considered the amount needed to cover the exposed areas of the body properly (although most people apply less than half the correct amount!).

• Apply a lip balm that contains sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher.

• Sunscreens should be re-applied at least every two hours or after swimming or perspiring heavily. Sunscreens rub off as well as wash off, so if you've towel-dried, reapply sunscreen for continued protection.

• Use Protective Eyewear. Darkened plastic or glass lenses without special UV filters, however, just trick the eyes into a false sense of safety. Purchase sunglasses with labels ensuring that they provide 100% UV protection.

• Double-check Medications. Some medications increase the skin's sensitivity to UV rays.

What to Look for in a Sunscreen

• Sunscreens are available in many forms including ointments, creams, gels, lotions, sprays and wax sticks. The type of sunscreen you choose is a matter of personal choice.

• Ingredients to look for on the sunscreen label to ensure broad-spectrum UV coverage include: avobenzone (Parsol 1789), cinoxate, ecamsule (Mexoryl SX), menthyl anthranilate, octyl methoxycinnamate, octyl salicylate, oxybenzone, sulisobenzone, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide.

• Unless indicated by an expiration date, the FDA requires that all sunscreens perform at their original strength for at least three years.

• To avoid a possible skin allergy, avoid sunscreens with PABA, and if your tween has sensitive skin, consider a sunscreen with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. These products are considered physical blockers (which reflect the sun's rays) and protect from both UVA and UVB rays without breaking down as easily as sunscreen ingredients in chemical blockers (which work by absorbing rays and preventing rays from penetrating the skin).

Resources and addition information related to sun care that might be helpful:

Sephora Sun Safety Kit offers more than a dozen sample-size sunscreens in a beach bag made of recycled plastic. The kit costs only $22.50 and 100% of the net profits will be donated to The Skin Cancer Foundation.

American Cancer Society Skin Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Video

Sunscreen Safety Is Called Into Question, by Tara Parker-Pope, NYTimes.com

Environmental Working Group's list of Top 10 Products and Recommended Common Brands

*UVA, the "aging rays", which pass easily through the ozone layer (the protective layer of atmosphere that surrounds the earth) and window glass penetrate deeper into the skin, and cause skin aging, suppression of the immune system (which protects about the development and spread of skin cancer). UVA rays make up the majority of our sun exposure. UVB, the "burning rays", are also dangerous, causing sunburns, cataracts (clouding of the eye lens), and immune system damage. They also contribute to skin cancer. Melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, is thought to be associated with severe UVB sunburns that occur before the age of 20. Most UVB rays are absorbed by the ozone layer (and blocked by window glass), but enough of these rays pass through to cause serious damage.