Pool, beach or countryside, any place is ideal to enjoy a pleasant vacation with your children! The good weather and the warm climate multiply the options for fun excursions and family activities, although exposing yourself to the sun for a long time carries the risk of suffering burns or skin rashes. In this regard, children are much more sensitive to the incidence of ultraviolet (UV) rays than adults, due to the immaturity of their skin.
Properly protecting the skin is also a habit that you should instill in your children from their first years of life, since this organ has a memory and the cumulative effects of solar radiation can have serious consequences in the future. The prevention of burns is a fundamental aspect in this sense, so we explain what products you should have on hand to protect children from the sun this summer and other tips that may be useful.
Among the number of options on the market, the first thing you should look for when purchasing a photoprotector is that it is broad-spectrum. A sun protection cream of 50 or higher will protect your children from UVA and UVB rays. It is advisable to opt for a specific protector for the face and another for the body.
Choose lotions with physical or mineral sunscreens and avoid aggressive or chemical products that can damage the child’s skin. On the other hand, a greasy texture will provide the leather with greater impermeability and guarantee greater resistance to water. However, it is convenient to reapply the cream every two hours or after each dip. Moisturizing gels and milks are a more appropriate presentation format than aerosols, which could cause greater irritability in the child’s eyes.
The first time you should apply cream to your child’s face and body should be before leaving home. According to dermatologist Cristina Eguren, to guarantee adequate protection, she complements her wardrobe with category 3 or 4 sunglasses and caps or wide-brimmed hats to protect the face, ears and neck. Once outside, an indirect exposure of ten minutes a day is enough, so it is advisable to seek the shade, avoid the central hours of greatest incidence and use an umbrella, if you go to the beach, to prevent burns. These issues are even more important for babies under six months, since their skin does not tolerate sunscreen.
If even with these precautions you could not have prevented your child from burning, a good solution is to give him a bath with lukewarm water to reduce the skin temperature. Avoid applying creams or ointments that could clog skin pores or aftersun, a product with mere soothing properties that children’s skin is not prepared for. You can buy a moisturizer or a topical corticosteroid at the pharmacy to alleviate its effects. In case of blisters or swelling, you should go to the doctor and ask for a consultation with a dermatologist.
