Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/ask-dr.-sue-sun-safety/5015169/
People know about, but do not practice safe sun exposure for children or for themselves. A June 2002 report in Pediatrics found that by their teens, many children had had frequent sunburns and that many were getting burned to get tanned and failing to use well-publicized protective measures. Unprotected sun exposure during childhood contributes directly to lifetime skin cancer and skin aging - and it tends to be a lifelong habit. Limiting sun exposure during childhood and adolescence could reduce the lifetime risk of skin cancer.Sun exposure is the major risk for development of both deadly melanoma and the more benign types of skin cancer. Ultraviolet light does the damage - both UVA and UVB which penetrates the skin more and does more harm to the skin than UVA.
Inadequate protection from sun exposure puts many children at risk of skin cancer and avoidable premature skin including aging, wrinkles, and either excessive thinning or thickening of the skin. Unprotected exposure of the eyes to sunshine is very harmful. The front parts of the eyes absorb nearly all the ultraviolet light, contributing to development of cataracts later in life and other less common eye disorders. People with pale white skin are ...