Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Marty Visscher, PhD, Director, Skin Sciences Program at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, explains that some parents do not understand the dangers of prolonged sun exposure on their child’s skin.
“During the summer months, it is critical that parents make sure their child uses sunscreen and wears sun-protective clothing to reduce the risk of sun damage,” Dr. Visscher said. She said the best sunscreen protection will have an SPF number of at least 30 or higher and it should be applied liberally to the skin at least once every hour for maximum protection.
Some of the dangerous effects of sun exposure on the skin include sunburn, photosensitive reactions (rashes), and cell and tissue damage. However, Dr. Visscher explains that there are several precautionary methods that parents can take to make sure their child is protected from too much sun exposure.
Dr. Visscher advises the following ways for parents to protect their child from the sun:
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center ranks third in the nation among all Honor Roll hospitals in U.S.News & World Report’s 2014 Best Children’s Hospitals. It is also ranked in the top 10 for all 10 pediatric specialties. Cincinnati Children’s, a non-profit organization, is one of the top three recipients of pediatric research grants from the National Institutes of Health, and a research and teaching affiliate of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. The medical center is internationally recognized for improving child health and transforming delivery of care through fully integrated, globally recognized research, education and innovation. Additional information can be found at www.cincinnatichildrens.org. Connect on the Cincinnati Children’s blog, via Facebook and on Twitter.