Fresh air and exercise are great for children of all ages, but if you have so far managed to ignore the dire warnings about skin safety and the sun, now
is the time to wake up and face facts: exposing unprotected skin to the sun's rays - in bright daylight in ANY kind of weather - is
dangerous.
I had a friend who was not what you'd call the 'outdoors type'. He was a regular, 26-year-old Australian living in the UK, when he was suddenly
diagnosed with skin cancer. He died within weeks of diagnosis as there had been no clear or visible signs of the cancer. The doctors said is was
purely down to his growing up in Australia and not having been sufficiently protected in the sun as a child. Even though he was never a beach bum
and could not recall ever being badly sunburnt, the damage of childhood had stayed with him and grown into something tragically deadly.
Whilst we all need to be vigilant about sun care throughout our lives, babies and children have much more sensitive skin. One episode of severe
burning in a child's early years doubles the risk of developing the most deadly form of skin cancer.
In Australia now, you won't find any sun creams with low SPF levels in the shops, and on the beach you will see entire families frollicking around in
beach outfits made from flexible, sporty UV-protective clothing. At school, a child is sent home immediately if they have not come in with their hat,
and the morning routine includes a family session of administering lotions and potions.
We might regard countries like Australia as being more prone to harsh sun, but can you honestly say you have never caught the sun in the UK on a bank holiday? It's vital to follow some basic sun safety rules.
