Without the proper guidance, children won't think anything about sunscreen or shade when they head out for the closest pool or lake. Young children and their parents are not always concerned about the constant exposure of the sun to the skin or the damage that will show up later. This doesn't mean you should keep the kids inside all summer long. Just know it's never too early to start being smart about spending time in the sun. While many teen-agers may believe a constant tan makes them look healthy, lively and attractive, tanning is, in fact, your skin's protective response to damage caused by ultraviolet light.
Tanning is a protective reaction to prevent further injury to the skin from the sun.
Continued exposure can produce long-lasting serious problems such as prematurely aging skin, allergies and skin cancer. By age 35, young sun seekers may have skin with a leathery texture and excessive wrinkles. A full range of allergies may result from excessive exposure. Certain drugs or a change in soaps or cosmetics can trigger skin eruptions from even limited exposure. Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers, with 1 out of 7 people in the United States developing some form of it sometime during their lifetime.