MYTHS AND TRUTHS ABOUT SUN PROTECTION IN CHILDREN

Summer is approaching giant steps and with it comes family leisure outdoors and the occasional getaway to the beach or the mountain.

Therefore, before the openings of the pools give the official start of the summer season, we explain what must be taken into account so that children benefit from the benefits of the sun, but well protected.

Dr. Elena de las Heras, a dermatologist at the Ramón y Cajal Hospital, an expert in melanomas of the skin, and a member of the Dermatology Societies of Spain, Germany, Europe and the International Dermatoscopy Society, breaks down some myths that circulate in around sun protection and alerts us to other measures to be taken that are true.

The sun is harmful to children. YES AND NO

Not everything is black or white. "Do not demonize it but take some precautions", says the expert. Sunbathing in small doses:

Advertising

It improves your mood. It is the best antidepressant, also in children and adolescents.
It has a calming effect. Sunlight induces the synthesis of endogenous opioids, a fact that translates into well-being and tranquility.
About 15 minutes a day of sun exposure is enough to synthesize vitamin D, essential to fix calcium in our bones.
Regulates the defensive system. Atopic dermatitis and other skin disorders, such as psoriasis or acne, get better when exposed to the sun.

However, an excess of time in the sun and without protection can:

Cause sunburn (erythema).
Eye problems
Photodermatitis, such as benign solar rash, which affects 10% of adults.
Photoaging.
Skin spots, such as chloasma in pregnancy or vitiligo.
Herpes labialis.
Skin cancer.

And, as the dermatologist assures, approximately 80% of the sun exposure to which we are exposed during our life occurs during the first 20 years. Therefore, it is in childhood when we must take care of ourselves.

Babies cannot be in the sun. TRUE

According to the dermatologist, we all have to avoid prolonged exposure to the sun forever and even more between 11 and 17 hours, especially in the case of children under three years.

In addition, he adds that Babies under six months should never be exposed to the sun, since they burn and dehydrate easily.

That implies that you have to avoid taking them to the beach or the pool and, if they are, always in the shade and protected with sunscreen, glasses and fresh clothes.

In addition, as explained by the National Plan of 'Preventive Actions of the effects of excess temperatures on health 2018', of the Ministry of Health, "those under five years old and especially children under one, are one of the population groups most sensitive to temperature changes" and therefore to suffer a heat stroke.

Their lower reserve of water and sweating and an even developing respiratory system make them more vulnerable to excessive overheating of the body that prevents the proper functioning of vital organs. This risk situation appears when the child is exposed to "situations with high humidity and temperatures, without protection or adequate hydration".

Sun creams protect against solar radiation. YES AND NO

Solar radiation is the transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves from the sun that emits a broad spectrum of radiation, from gamma rays to long wavelengths, infrared. Some solar radiation affects the skin, such as UV radiation:

UVB radiation prolongs the tan and is partially attenuated by the ozone layer. It is necessary for the body to synthesize vitamin D and facilitates the formation of melanin, a pigment present in the skin cells that helps prolong the tan. But it is also the main cause of sunburn, eye damage and melanoma.
UVA radiation is more dangerous because it causes no pain and penetrates deeper into the skin, where it produces free radicals and alters the cells. Accelerates skin aging and can cause intolerance to the sun, usually known as sun allergy and pigmentary diseases (melasma, spots).
UVC radiation is very harmful, but is absorbed by the ozone layer.

The photoprotectors protect us from UVB and UVA radiation, and probably also from infrared radiation, although their effects are still under study. Make sure that this double protection appears on the specified label.

Pediatric sun creams are different. TRUE

The skin of children is much more sensitive than that of adults, so it burns and dehydrates more easily, since it is not yet sufficiently strengthened.

In this way, children's sun creams are more adapted to their needs. Hence, it is more appropriate to protect them with a specific one for them, although adults can use theirs, because it also works for us.

Among the differences:

They use fewer or no perfumes.
Their consistency is denser and they have a whitish tone. The cause? They include a higher percentage of physical filters, while adult sites use a higher proportion of organic filters. Even so, each time they have a more similar and easy to spread texture, like that of the elderly.
They are usually more water resistant.
They do not carry alcohol, because at least until the age of fifteen, the skin has not yet fully developed.

Brown-skinned children do not need protection. FALSE

How many times have we heard that 'as I have dark skin, I don't need protection' or 'I get less sun factor because otherwise I don't get brown'? The two statements are totally wrong and even more serious in the case of children.

"The tan does not protect from the sun, but is a defense mechanism against him, a symptom that is damaging the skin."

This is stated by Elena de las Heras, who adds that:

"Being brown was linked decades ago with a welfare status. However, medicine says otherwise: the skin reacts to sun damage producing melanin, tanning, and that triggers a series of cumulative processes that end up taking a toll on the health of the skin".

For this reason, it is essential to always wear a protector, with a higher or less filter, depending on the type of skin. The sun protection factor (SPF) indicates the time during which a sunscreen increases the skin's natural defense capacity before burning, against UVB. That is, an SPF 30, for example, makes the skin take 30 times longer to redden, than if no protection was applied.

In Babies and more 11 things that children usually do on the beach with which we have to be careful

That means that people with phototypes I and II (the lightest skin) take much longer to tan and also need more protection to avoid damaging their dermis.

Even so, when in doubt, maximum protection is recommended for children and explains that: "Europe has put the SPF limit at 50 because it has been seen that above this factor no greater absorption of ultraviolet rays is achieved."

You just have to protect the skin in winter. FALSE

Ultraviolet A radiation is invisible to our eyes, but they are present year-round and damage our skin. Therefore, it is essential that we protect our skin and that of our children always, even in winter, being in the shade or on cloudy days.

You have to put the cream half an hour before sun exposure. FALSE

An investigation of the University of Malaga, published in the journal of the European Academy of Dermatology, ended this belief, demonstrating that sunscreens are effective on the skin within five minutes of applying them.

So the important thing is to protect yourself as soon as we are in the sun, no matter if we leave the house with the cream on or wait for the beach. Perhaps in the case of children it is more comfortable to apply it at home, since once near the water, we will have to chase them to pour them the cream.

A single application is not enough. TRUE

There are no rules about how often to reapply the protector. It depends on the type of skin and the activity performed by the child.

This is explained by the doctor of Las Heras, who recommends returning it every 2-3 hours (in the case of adults) and every hour, if they are children, or even more frequently depending on the baths or possible friction due to clothing.

In addition, he adds that "Although today sunscreens are increasingly resistant to water, it is advisable to continue applying it after a prolonged bath or after each bath, in the case of children."

In Babies and more, seven keys to protect children's ears in summer

The protector can be reused from year to year. FALSE

Many of us do it, especially since "It's sad to throw such an expensive cream" and that is almost whole. But we are not aware that it will no longer protect our skin, much less that of our children.

As the dermatologist explains, once the container is opened, it must be used before the year, since the heat to which they are exposed on the beach or the pool degrades its ingredients and causes it to lose its effectiveness.

Aftersun is another moisturizing lotion. FALSE

Even if you apply sunscreen, sun, sea water or chlorine, they make our skin and children's skin dehydrate, and even cause burns and redness, stinging and tightness.

The function of aftersun lotions is precisely to soothe and regenerate the skin after sun exposure:

Moisturizes and nourishes the skin.
Refreshes and relieves the stinging and heat caused by solar radiation.
Prevents the signs of photoaging and keeps the skin younger.
Prolongs the tan and makes it more uniform.

You have to protect your eyes. TRUE

Very few of us are aware of the harmful effects of sun rays on the eyes of children: they can cause acute corneal alterations, degenerative lesions and acute retinal burns, as well as harsh pathologies such as cataracts or macular degeneration associated with age.

In Babies and more Babies should wear sunglasses

Therefore, just as we care to protect your skin, we must also ensure your eyes and trying to always wear sunglasses from babies, since the lens at an early age has not yet fully developed and lets light through.

In fact, before the first year of life, it leaves 90 percent of the UVA radiation and 50 percent of the UVB, reaching the retina directly, which can cause short and long term damage.

So whenever the sun shines high, protect it with glasses and a hat.

Photos | iStock