Practice News

Even though summer is a few months away, it is not too early for some tips about keeping children’s skin safe in the sun!

Even though summer is a few months away, it is not too early for some tips about keeping children’s skin safe in the sun!



Choose a sunscreen for your child that is labelled to be at least SPF 15 and protects against both UVA and UVB. For children with sensitive skin – or whose skin has reacted to sunscreen in the past – consider using a sunscreen containing zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Sunscreen products with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide are much less likely to cause an allergic reaction or irritation, although they can be harder to rub in.

For children younger than 6 months old, most of their sun protection should come from physical barriers such as clothing, hats, and shade. You should use sunscreen to protect areas of their body that are not covered by protective clothing (typically the hands, feet, neck, and sometimes face).

Sunscreen should be applied 30 minutes before sun exposure and reapplied every 2 hours.

One last note…if your child has had a burn, significant cut, or stitches in the past year, take special care to protect that area from the sun from April through October, this will help minimize scarring.

By Timothy Flynn, M.D.



Posted 3/20/2022