Protecting Girls in Bathing Suits from Future Skin Maladies
Sun Protection is a fact of life™
Girls in bathing suits are a common sight at the beach and around the local swimming pool. But many of them may not be protecting themselves as well as they should from the harmful UV rays beating down on them from the sun.
Too much sun is dangerous and could be potentially fatal if you are over exposed to it. Because of the danger too much sun presents, we fall back on sunscreen and sunblock to help us repel some of those harmful UV rays and still take in the sun.
If you peruse the skin protection section of your local store you will notice that there are sunblock and sunscreen products available for children and adults.
It's important that boys and girls in bathing suits by the pool and on the beach wear these products to help keep their skin from being damaged by sunburn.
However, what do you do if you are unable to treat your child with a sunblock designed for them?
Can you use adult sunscreen on their delicate skin?
The answer is yes, but you have to understand a few things first before you go slathering adult products on your child's delicate skin.
Read your labels
There is a difference between sunblock and sunscreen. Unfortunately most manufacturers use the terms interchangeably.
To protect young boys and girls in bathing suits most sun blocks are made with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. They are the ones that lifeguards use on their noses and make their noses look white.
You can find sunblock made of a lotion or cream that will not make your children look like they are wearing it. You just need to make sure that you carefully read the label of the product you are considering to ensure these two ingredients are included.
Start protecting your child's skin from the time they are a baby
(6 months or older)
If you are planning on taking your infant child out in the sun make sure you cover any exposed areas of their bodies with a UVA and UVB sunblock or blocking sunscreen that has an spf rating of at least 15 to 30.
A baby's skin is very sensitive to sunlight so you should protect their face, arms and legs at all times as these are probably the areas that will receive the most exposure to the sun, even during a casual stroll.
Try not to expose your child to the sun during the hours of 10am to 2pm as these are peak times and the sun is the strongest. If you have to go out, use a hood on their stroller or cover them with a sun protection umbrella, clothing or even a blanket.
Apply sunblock regularly
While your boys and girls in bathing suits enjoy the water, they will be washing their sun block or sun screen off. It is imperative that you reapply the UV protection on a regular basis to help them protect their skin.
The water acts like a magnifying glass for these rays, and you can get burned even if you are just sitting on the beach or at the pool side.
Even if it is a cloudy day you need to make sure that you apply sunscreen to your skin as well as your child's regularly to ensure they do not get burned. Don't forget to use cover-ups as well as hats and sunglasses to make sure skin stays protected.
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