Home » Health » Concerns about skin cancer are on the rise: five tips to protect your child better

Concerns about skin cancer are on the rise: five tips to protect your child better

Burned skin in childhood doubles the chance of developing skin cancer later, reports the Skin Cancer Care Netherlands Steering Group (a collaboration of the professional association for dermatologists (NVDV) and patient organizations, among others).

Relatively easy to prevent

The steering committee is presenting a action plan, stating that measures are needed to protect children, in particular, from future skin cancer. Skin cancer is by far the most common form of cancer in the Netherlands, while this form is relatively easy to prevent.


RTL Nieuws spoke with dermatologist Birgitte Visch, she explains the five best ways to prevent burning of your child and thus potential skin cancer at a later age.

1. Lubricate, lubricate and lubricate again

This is a well-known one, but no less important one. Lubrication remains one of the best ways to prevent burning and therefore skin cancer.

“The most important thing is to rub your child in regularly. As a rule every 2 hours, but if your child has a lighter skin type then it must of course be done more often. And the other way around, it applies a little less often for dark skin. so the rule is every 2 hours “, says Visch.

2. Build a routine

It is important to establish a routine in lubrication. Especially in the summer months. That means that every time your child goes out and the sun is shining, you have to rub it well.

Visch: “We actually want smearing to have the same routine as brushing your teeth, so by smearing your child even if it is not a day out to the beach. That also contributes to awareness.”


3. Using the correct factor

In addition to using sunscreen, it is also important to use the right factor and to rub your child on often enough. But according to Visch this does not have to be difficult.

“From February to the autumn, you should actually rub your child every time the sun breaks through. Use factor 30 as a basis. The difference between factor 50 and factor 30 is not that big. As long as you do it regularly.”

4. Put in the shade

Putting your child in the shade can also help reduce the risk of burns. The plan therefore also advocates for more shade in public places.

“The sun is at its brightest between 12:00 and 15:00. It is good to put your child in the shade for a while. Or let the child play there for a while. Incidentally, you can still stay in the shade. do burn, but the risk is of course much smaller, “according to Visch.


5. Buy UV-resistant clothing

Not all clothing protects against the sun equally well. Clothing made of a light fabric, for example, still allows a lot of UV light to pass through. According to Visch, it is therefore advisable to buy UV-resistant clothing if you really want to have your child completely protected.

“This is clothing that is specially made to prevent UV light from penetrating. Especially on days when it is cloudy and the sun is shining, it is useful to wear this type of clothing.”


Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.