Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Marty Visscher, PhD, Director, Skin Sciences Institute, at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, explains that some parents do not understand the dangers of prolonged sun exposure on their children’s skin.
“During the summer months, it is critical that parents make sure their children use sunscreen and wear sun-protective clothing to reduce the risk of sun damage,” Dr. Visscher said. She said the best sunscreen protection will have an SPF number of at least 15 and should be applied liberally to the skin at least once every hour for maximum protection.
Some of the dangerous effects of sun exposure on the skin include sunburn, photosensitive reactions (rashes), and cell and tissue damage. However, Dr. Visscher explains that there are several precautionary methods that parents can take to make sure their children are protected from too much sun exposure:
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center is one of just eight children’s hospitals named to the Honor Roll in U.S. News and World Report’s 2010-11 Best Children’s Hospitals. It is ranked #1 for digestive disorders and highly ranked for its expertise in pulmonology, cancer, neonatology, heart and heart surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, diabetes and endocrinology, orthopedics, kidney disorders and urology. Cincinnati Children’s is one of the top two recipients of pediatric research grants from the National Institutes of Health. It is internationally recognized for quality and transformation work by Leapfrog, The Joint Commission, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and by hospitals and health organizations it works with globally. Additional information can be found at www.cincinnatichildrens.org