Sun Safety Tips
For You and Your Family
In summer or winter these great sun safety tips will help protect you and your family from the sun’s harmful rays.
It is a fact that children’s skin is thinner and more sensitive, so it can be sunburnt and damaged very easily.
According to the SunSmart organisation, sun exposure in the first 10 years of life largely determines your child's lifetime potential for skin cancer.
It is therefore our responsibility as parents to teach our children about sun health care and how to practice sun safety – all year round.
The key is to set a good example for your kids. If they see you follow the sun safety tips below, they will take them for granted and do the same.
So be SunSmart and protect your family from skin cancer whenever you are having fun outside – also on overcast days. Just: Slip, Slop, Slap and Wrap! It is so easy!
SunSmart Sun Safety Tips: Slip, Slop, Slap, Wrap
In New Zealand we love our sport and being outdoors and because skin cancer is caused by exposure to harmful ultraviolet radiation we can be at risk while we're outside enjoying ourselves.
The really good news is skin cancer is preventable. So one of the most important things you can do is to practice SunSmart behaviours while playing sport or enjoying the outdoors.
How can you be SunSmart?
Slip into a shirt – and slip into some shade, especially between 11am and 4pm when the ultraviolet rays are most fierce.
Slop on some sunscreen before going outdoors.
- Put sunscreen on any skin not covered by clothes.
- Choose a sunscreen that meets the Australian and New Zealand Standard AS/NS2604.
- Use an SPF30+ broad-spectrum sunscreen. Wipe it on thickly at least 15 minutes before going outdoors.
- Reapply: do this 15 minutes after the first application to ensure complete coverage, and also after physical activity, swimming or towel drying.
- Sunscreen should not be used as a means of staying out of the sun longer, but as a way to reduce the risk of sun damage to the skin when exposure to the summer sun is unavoidable.
Slap on a hat with a brim or a cap with flaps. More people get burned on the face and neck than any other part of the body, so a good hat is important.
Wrap on a pair of sunglasses. Choose close fitting, wrap-around glasses that meet the Australian Standard AS1067.
Source: www.sunsmart.org.nz
Sun protection is not only important on the beach or by the swimming pool, it is equally important on the slopes.
So if you are heading to the ski fields this season, remember to take your sun protection gear with you, especially a SPF30+ broad-spectrum sunscreen and a pair of wrap-around sun glasses. UV levels are stronger at higher altitudes and snow is a highly reflective surface, so do protect your eyes.
Tip: a pair of cool sun glasses may not always be the best sun glasses, so make sure you get all the facts when purchasing sunglasses for your children and for yourself.
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