Prevention, the best medicine against skin cancer in children
The good weather is approaching, a fantastic occasion to go outdoors and enjoy fantastic family activities. But you have to be careful to prevent the dangers that exist in these excursions, from the moquitos that can lurk during a day of hiking, to the problems derived from exposure to the sun, ranging from burns to more serious ones like the skin cancer.
To avoid the presence of this terrible disease, it is best to prevent. And for that, nothing better than educating the new generations to keep health problems away. For this reason, the Healthy Skin Foundation has initiated a series of photoprotection workshops that try to instill in the minds of children the need to protect themselves from the influence of the sun.
The importance of prevention
The mission of these courses is to stop the increase in cases of skin cancer, which have increased in recent years. According to the Healthy Skin Foundation every year 4,000 new cases of this disease, of which, 80% could be prevented by applying the correct measures and making children, from small, acquire photoprotective habits.
To this end, the course initiated in the Gaudem School, has received the visit of several experts from the Piel Sana Foundation that is intended for both parents and children. These talks seek the full involvement of all members of the family in the fight against this type of cancer and asking that each of them apply the measures that are in their hands.
Decalogue to prevent
As has been said, the mission of the Healthy Skin Foundation is to teach the youngest children about photoprotection. Points that should be remembered now that good weather is approaching and starts and excursions begin. Here are some tips to avoid problems:
- In the case of babies small children, it is best to keep them away from the sun. If this is not possible, the child should be left outdoors only during the hours when the sun is less strong, such as early in the morning or late in the afternoon.
- Children and adolescents should use water-resistant sunscreens, with protection factor 30, as a minimum, with protection against ultraviolet rays. When exposing themselves to the sun, they should wear a shirt, cap and sunglasses graduated by their ophthalmologist.
- It is important to teach children from a young age a good sun protection behavior.
- Some medications increase sensitivity to light. If this is the case, you should talk to the pediatrician before exposing yourself to the sun. On the other hand, some deodorants can harm the dermis, so it is recommended not to apply them if some type of reaction is observed.
Damián Montero
