I love the summer. The weather, sitting on the back porch at dusk, hearing the crickets at night, playing outside and the look of sun-kissed skin. Now before you freak out and start sending me irate emails, hear me out.
I've always been a sun worshiper and so it's been a big adjustment for me to go from pouring on the baby oil at the beach and pool to thinking about sun damage, sunscreen and skin cancer. But, I have. I want to take care of myself and certainly, my family. I've found a lot of great products that work for me but I'm still searching for that great SPF product that works on my kid. So far we've nixed one lotion that always seems to find it's way into my son's eyes, a thick cream that tends to ball up into little bits of sunscreen that rub off of his skin, and one that seemed to work well but the next day the wee one's back had a pinkish-hue to it. None of the above is acceptable to me.
I went to speak with our health and wellness expert here at Wyndham, Nina Bradford, who is a Health Educator with Atlantic Health. We took a look at my skin through a Skin Analyzer and pointed out the sun damage that I have that is invisible to the eye. I lifeguarded for years so was not surprised to see the many freckles and spots, however, I want to do what I can to keep my skin healthy and to prevent my son from having to worry about skin cancers and sun burns.
Nina had some great tidbits to share with you as you venture out into the elements during your daily routines, fun weekend and family vacations. Here are some of her suggestions:
- When shopping for sun protection, look for products with Broad Spectrum UVA/UVB. These products protect against both the visible and invisible rays.
- Apply moisturizer daily, both face and body, with an SPF of 15 or higher and don't forget those lips - use a product like Aveeno's Essential Moisture on your mouth and remember to reapply often.
- Sunscreen should be reapplied at least every 2 hours.
- Children under 6 months should never be exposed to the sun. Protect their head, face and neck with a wide-brimmed hat and use a sun tent or stroller with a canopy or hood. You can now even get them with UV Ray protection.
- Kids are active which means lots of sweating, getting wet and getting dirty. Make sun safety a part of your routine and apply waterproof sunscreen with an SPF of 30+ during the "getting ready to leave the house" ritual.
- If you like the look of having a tan, you can still have one without being unhealthy. There are numerous self-tanning products on the market that look natural and don't have that chemical smell that some had when the first came out. Be sure to exfoliate before applying and wash your hands afterwards - orange lines in between your fingers are never attractive!
- Avoid sun bathing and wear a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and protective clothing.
Always keep an extra tube of sunscreen in your diaper bag or beach bag. You never know when you're going to make a spur of the moment decision to stop at the park on the way home or run some quick errands before bringing the kids home from camp. You know that the peak sun strength times are between 10 - 2, however you are still being hit with the suns rays well into the late afternoon. Be prepared and be protected.
