Regardless of the time of year, there is one thing you can count on--kids spending plenty of time in the sun. Be it swimming, riding a bike, playing a sport, heading to the beach or spending time at an amusement park, exposure to UV rays is a natural part of life.

During all of this fun in the sun, it is important to adequately protect your children from over-exposure to UV rays. Why? Because the chance of a child developing skin cancer jumps by a healthy percentage every time they experience a blistering sunburn.

Health officials are constantly cautioning about the dangers of over-exposure. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, only 30 percent of adult Americans actually use sun protection. This is unfortunate in light of the overwhelming evidence that shows skin cancer rates are on the rise. As a parent, you have the power to teach your children about the need for sun protection and show them what they can do to protect themselves.

Take the necessary precautions

Up to this point, the necessary precautions have included teaching your child to apply sunscreen, seeing that they wear hats and other clothing over exposed areas, and monitoring their skin for over-exposure. The better you are at teaching them to protect themselves, the better their chances of avoiding skin cancer later in life. Based upon recent studies, the part of this protective equation that is becoming more and more important is the type of sunscreen you choose for your children.

A recent study by the American Academy of Dermatology, 48 (1)-19, summarized that traditional sunscreens are inadequate to protect against skin damage caused by UV rays, and that what is necessary is a new generation of sunscreen that both adequately reflects UV rays and contains strong anti-oxidants to stop the chain reaction initiated by free radicals

Understanding what causes skin damage is the key to prevention

Protecting your children’s skin involves the understanding and prevention of free radicals. Free radicals (oxidants) are charged molecules that damage the skin via oxidation, when they attack healthy cells and react with other molecules. This process of oxidation is similar to what happens to an apple when it is cut open and exposed to oxygen.

Free radicals are formed on the skin when it is exposed to UV rays and environmental toxins. Recent studies have also confirmed that free radicals form when chemical (and often estrogenic)UV filters like avobenzone and Benzophenone, become activated by UV rays. These chemical UV filters are common “active” ingredients in traditional sunscreens.
Free radicals are a problem because they damage collagen and elastin, fats, proteins and the DNA of cells. Their damage is revealed later in life as aging skin, sun spots, sagging skin, wrinkles and the development of skin cancer. In order to prevent skin damage, you must prevent the formation of free radicals on the skin.

Anti-oxidants protect you from skin damage

You can inhibit free radical (oxidant) damage, by applying topical anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants act as cell protectors that bind with free radicals before they can cause damage. More importantly, they are capable of counteracting the damaging, but normal, effects of the physiological process of oxidation in tissues. “Bio-Melanin is one of the most powerful topical super anti-oxidants available,” says Peter Zahner, skin cancer survivor and inventor of MelanSol®, a new generation of moisturizing sunscreen made with 100 percent natural ingredients. “Bio-Melanin has a 1000 times greater capacity than vitamin E for capturing and terminating free radicals.”

The truth about SPF (Sun Protection Factor)

An overwhelming number of people choose their sunscreen solely based upon its level of SPF. “They believe that a higher SPF will allow them to stay in the sun for a longer period of time-lulling them into a false sense of security,” says Zahner.

In reality, the SPF is different for everyone. One SPF is equal to the length of time it takes for you to turn red if you are standing in the sun without sunscreen protection. For example, if it takes 30 minutes for your skin to turn red, then 30 minutes would be your individual SPF. Continuing with this example, if you choose an SPF of 30, after one application, you should be able to expose yourself to 900 minutes or 15 hours of UV rays (30 minutes times 30 SPF), without experiencing skin damage. Yet this is not the case, as the fine print on the back of the bottle states. It says that you should reapply the sunscreen every two hours to maintain its effectiveness.

The underlying reason for the additional application is simple. You must reapply the sunscreen after two hours because the chemical UV filters don’t work after that time. They breakdown, become unstable and fall apart, creating free radicals that can damage skin cells.

According to Zahner, “When using an SPF 18”, you already filter out 95 percent of the suns UVB rays. With an SPF of 30, only 2 percent more protection is gained, but a twofold quantity of chemical UV filter material is required to achieve it.” An SPF of 50 will only filter out 98 percent of UV rays. Zahner goes on to say, “You don’t want to reflect all of the UV rays because they are needed to help your child’s skin make vitamin D, an important component for the body’s development of calcium.”


Cover the spectrum

There are two kinds of radiation, UVA and UVB. In order to provide your child with protection from both, you need to use a sunscreen that has been tested to provide protection over the full UVA/UVB spectrum. To date, as far as I am aware, there is only one sunscreen currently being marketed in the US with a UVA rating on the label, which helps consumers buy with confidence. “MelanSol® provides excellent UVA/UVB protection without the use of chemicals,” says Zahner.

Use common sense when it comes to protecting your skin

It is important to use common sense when it comes to protecting your child’s skin. Sunscreen is not a license to stay out in the sun all day-- overexposing your child to excessive UV radiation. Moderate time in the sun, protective clothing and the use of a moderate SPF sunscreen will help keep their skin’s natural defenses from becoming overwhelmed (redness is a sign of overexposure). If you prefer a natural alternative to traditional chemical sunscreen formulas, I suggest MelanSol®. You can get all the information you require by visiting http://www.PureSunscreen.com.




Author's Bio

Michael J Russ is a writer, author and speaker who has published 4 audio books and written numerous articles on the topics of self-talk, energy management and the mental aspect of golf. His latest workshop is entitled- The Keys to Designing Your Success. Michael is a featured columnist for www.bunkershot.com.