We receive the most sun exposure before age 18. As children, we take every opportunity to go outside to ride a bike, play ball, or just hang out with friends. As adolescents, we bake in the sun (or a tanning salon) to achieve a "healthy” tan.

Sun damage to the skin accumulates over the years. Every sunburn increases our risk for skin cancer. Therefore, it’s crucial to start to protect your skin today, and teach your children to protect themselves from sunburn.

You need to start early. Here’s how:

Babies 6 months of age and younger:

Keep your baby in the shade as much as possible.
Cover her body with a long-sleeve cotton shirt and pants.
Place a broad rimmed hat on her head.
Sunglasses are not a bad idea!
Sunscreen lotion is not recommended under the age of 6 months.


Children over 6 months old:

Stay in the shade, especially between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the sun is the strongest.
Remember that your child may get sunburnt within 10 minutes-- even with sunscreen!
Wear sunscreen even on cloudy days, as 80% of sunrays will penetrate through the clouds.
Apply sunscreen SPF 30 or greater to all exposed body areas, and reapply every 2-3 hours and after swimming.
Wear hat & sunglasses.


Prevention of sunburn is important not only to prevent skin cancer, but also the discomfort of a burn itself. Sun exposure may lead to first or second degree burns.

A first-degree burn causes redness or discoloration of the skin, mild swelling, and pain. These symptoms usually last 1-5 days. A second-degree burn causes redness, blistering of the skin, swelling, and considerable pain. When blisters pop, the compromised skin barrier allows bacterial entry, increasing ones risk for serious skin infections. Healing of second-degree burns may take 10-14 days.

If you or your family members get a sunburn, you can take the following steps:
Increase fluid intake
Apply cool compresses to affected skin
Give Tylenol as needed

If there is no improvement or symptoms get worse, seek medical attention immediately.