With summer here and most of our children exposed to many hours of sunlight, I thought it timely to remind everyone that, yes; our children’s skin must be protected from the sun even if their skin is darker. While many of us erroneously assume that the people with fair skin, freckles and moles are the ones who get the skin cancer, this is far from the truth.
I came across an excellent article in BBC news that reported this:

“Contrary to common perception, people with dark skin are more likely to die from skin cancer than those with fairer skin… Although the disease is less common, when it does occur it is typically more aggressive and diagnosed later, which leads to more deaths.”

While darker skin does provide some protection from the harmful UV rays of the sun, the maximum natural SPF a person with very dark black skin will have is around 13. Two common places for skin cancer to appear on dark skinned people are the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet.


It is also important to remember proper usage of sunscreen.
1.Sunscreen should be applied 15-30 minutes before being exposed to the sun so it has time to be absorbed by the skin.
2.Regardless of what is written on the bottle, sunscreen should be reapplied every two hours, or after swimming or sweating profusely. None of the sunscreens are 100% waterproof.
3.You can get sunburned on a cloudy day as well since clouds do not block UV rays.

If you are concerned that your child will not be absorbing enough Vitamin D because of sunscreen, this is rarely the case. Ordinarily a child’s diet provides them with enough of this essential vitamin, and in actuality a few minutes of sun a day without sunscreen are enough to absorb this vitamin.

The stores are stocked with so many types of sunscreen that it can be overwhelming to make a choice. Try different brands until you find one that doesn’t irritate your child’s skin or have an offensive odor, and remember this:

“A sunscreen with an SPF of 15 provides protection against 93% of UVB rays, while one with an SPF of 30 provides 97% protection. Keep in mind that a sunscreen with an SPF of 2 only provides 50% protection, so be sure to use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15-30.”

Enjoy the summer and don’t forget to slap that sunscreen on your children and yourself.

For more information on the subject, check out these articles:
1. Sunscreen myths and facts
2. Dark skin does not block cancer
3. Sunscreen: Do I need it if I have dark skin?


Photo: Ella enjoying the Mediterranean Sea