A Child’s Suntan Is A Sign Of Skin Damage – Not Glowing Health

A new survey suggests that a third of parents mistakenly believe going brown is good for children.

A quarter has actually encouraged their children to tan!

A few said that they had allowed their children to use sun beds and the findings come from interviews with 1,000 parents with children aged 11 and younger.

One in 10 said they had told their child to take their top off in the sun “so they don’t get tan lines”.

21% of the parents said they would think about applying sunscreen only if their child started to go red and burn.

As some may believe, a tan will not stop the sun’s harmful rays from causing harm. It is, in fact, a sign that the skin has been damaged and is trying to protect itself. In fact, this is exactly what the NHS England and the Met Office have recently reminded parents.

After our skin is exposed to sunlight, cells called melanocytes produce more dark pigment, called melanin, in an attempt to absorb further UV radiation, and so the skin gets darker.

Remember that children and babies have more sensitive skin than adults and infants aged under 6 months should be kept out of direct strong sunlight.