Young Skin

It is a fact that exposure to UV light causes skin cancer and damage that occurs to vulnerable childhood skin has a huge impact on skin health and skin cancer risk in adult life. Baby’s and very young children should not be exposed to sun and should always be kept cool in the shade. As parents we are all aware of the need to limit UV exposure to protect the skin of our children and all patients coming to see me in clinic are advised to:

• Apply SPF 50+ sunscreen- the higher SPF the better, as studies have shown that on average people will apply less than half the amount of sunscreen required to provide the level of protection on the packaging.
• Don’t forget to apply to commonly missed sites- back, neck and ears.
• Reapply regularly throughout the day and do not trust claims of ‘once a day application’ products
• Limit your exposure to UV by avoiding 11am-3pm peak hours of the day.
• Be aware that even under shade you will be exposed to 40% of ambient UV.

Finding the ideal products to help us achieve this in kids requires a number of additional features:

• Limiting exposure to unnecessary chemicals- use a reflective ‘mineral’ sunscreen.
• Tolerability- look for formulations that do not sting eyes, and are unscented
• Ease of application- mechanism of delivery- sprays generally easier to apply quickly, also consider colour changing or tinted products that allow you to see where you have applied
• High water resistance- always reapply after swimming, but look for high water resistance to optimise protection during swimming.

Understand sunscreen labels:

Sunscreens with a high sun protection factor (SPF) help to block UVB and prevent burning of the skin and UV damage. UVA protection is also important, as UVA penetrates deeper into the skin and has been shown to also cause damage- look for a UVA shield or 5* protection. Modern sunscreens are sleek multi-tasking products and a world away from their sticky unpleasant precursors. There are two modes of action of sunscreens:

• Firstly, chemical or ‘absorber’ sunscreens- chemicals contained within the cream ‘absorb’ harmful UV radiation like a sponge.
• Secondly reflective sunscreens- these contain titanium dioxide or zinc oxide which work by reflecting back the UV from the surface of the skin like a mirror. Newer reflective sunscreens have used nano-particle technology to make the reflective agents smaller and easier to apply to the skin and less likely to leave white streaks.

In recent years there has been an increasing awareness of the potential health and environmental consequences of potential exposure to chemicals found within sunscreens. Dermatologists and sunscreen manufacturers have called for caution and the need for further evidenced based research to further clarify these questions, but increasingly companies are producing sunscreens that do not contain agents such as oxybenzone, octinoxate and octocrylene. This is great news for people wishing to limit the exposure of their skin or their children’s skin to chemicals.

In addition to sunscreen, 50+ UV protective fabric (UPF) offers great additional protection. As the mother of two active young kids I love UV protective clothing for its ease of use. My routine for our children is to apply a layer of SPF 50+ sunscreen then dress them in high necked, long-sleeved UV suits with protective sunhats with a large brim to shade their delicate faces and chests. We also tend to hit the beach at 5pm.

Acne affects up to 95% of people at some point in their lives and is most prevalent in adolescents and young adults between the ages 11-30 years.If you have just started to develop acne look carefully at your skin care regimen. Ensure all products you use are oil free and non-comedogenic (ie don’t block pores). Try to minimise the products you are using and be careful not to ‘overload’ your skin. Keep products gentle and avoid products that irritate the already sore and inflamed skin. For example, a simple change to your cleanser can dramatically reduce your need to apply moisturiser.

There’s a great selection of products on the market that help treat mild acne. These products contain salicylic acid, glycolic acid, tea tree oil and benzoyl peroxide. They all have slightly different modes of action from increasing turnover of the top dead layers of the skin to unclog pores, to blitzing bacteria. Everyone’s skin will respond in a slightly different way to each of these approaches and getting the right product for you can make a big difference. However, if you are not seeing any improvement don’t ignore the problem. It is important to seek medical help from your GP or dermatologist and do this before scarring occurs.

In the wintery months as we wrap up in warm jumpers your skins well-being is often not top of your priority list. However, temperature changes and reduced humidity with central heating create specific challenges.