10 Tips: The Sun is No Friend of Children

The sun does to skin what tobacco smoke does to lungs. Both produce progressive, cumulative, and irreversible tissue damage, often culminating in very serious health issues many decades later.

But it need not happen. There are positive rays of sunshine, too: information on how to neutralize the harmful effects. Here is what you should know:

1. Don’t pass on to your children the old wives’ tale your parents taught you.

The amount of sun exposure skin needs to produce vitamin D for growing bones is negligible; occasional and fleeting exposure suffices. And there is no convincing evidence that the sun boosts the immune system; it may actually impair it. Several infections appear to be more common and heal slower at higher altitudes, where sun radiation is stronger than at sea level.

2. Outdoor air is no better than indoor air.

True, being outdoors makes people feel better. But is it healthier? Historically, it was. The air indoors was even more polluted than outdoors, the result of using wood and coal for heating and cooking, and poor ventilation. These fuels filled the air with soot, causing frequent respiratory problems.

3. There is no such thing as a healthy tan.

The common perception that tans represent fitness and health is false. Every tan represents skin damage, albeit mild damage, but contributes to wrinkling, discolorations and skin cancers over a lifetime. Until recently, such damage was attributed entirely to "normal aging." In fact, a good deal of it comes from the sun, and is preventable.

4. Indoor basketball is just as good for children as is outdoor baseball.

Children should be encouraged to exercise and socialize and to get away from the TV and computer games for at least a few hours each day. But outdoor activities do not enrich minds and bodies any better than indoor activities.

5. Children’s skin is more vulnerable to sun damage.

Melanin is the substance that protects against sun damage. The younger the child, the less melanin in his or her skin. Start sun protection at birth.

6. Children are spending more time outdoors.

Outdoor life styles become more popular each generation. And greater longevity adds up to more lifelong sun exposure. U.S. population growth is mostly in the south. For every 3 degrees closer to the equator, the rate of some skin cancers almost doubles. The further south you live, the more important protection becomes.

7. About 80 percent of our lifetime sun exposure occurs in the first 18 years of life.

Children who suffer blistering sunburns greatly increase their risk of developing skin cancer decades later. Using appropriate sunscreens during the first 18 years of life would reduce a lifetime risk of developing sun-related skin cancers by about 80%.

8. Everyday activities add to lifelong sun exposure.

In Australia, where the sun is intense much of the year, schools have strict and enforced sun-protective dress codes, school yards are shaded by trees, and outdoor sport activities are scheduled for early morning and late afternoon. Lectures from teachers on sun protection are part of the curriculum beginning in kindergarten.

9. June is the month for maximum sun exposure.

In the Northern Hemisphere this is the month when the sun is closest to Earth, is straight above and there are more hours of sunshine, all increasing exposure. And the weather is generally cooler than in July and August, making parents think the sun is less intense. Temperature is unrelated to sun exposure.

10. Vacations often increase the intensity of the exposure.

Vacations tend to increase time spent outdoors, often at higher altitude or at beaches. The higher the altitude the stronger the sun; there is less atmosphere to filter out the damaging rays. A winter vacation in the tropics is especially sun intensive. Protective tans from the previous summer are gone, making skin especially vulnerable to rapid burning.

See TenTips: Protecting Children from the Sun; and TenTips: Using Sunscreens Correctly.