The sunburn your child won’t forget

A mother brought her 5-year-old into the clinic after a weekend at the pool. His shoulders were bright red and covered in blisters. He had cried through the night from the pain. “We put sunscreen on him in the morning,” she told me. “I didn’t think we’d need more.” I see this more than families think: a sunburn that seemed minor at the time but means a lot more for a child’s skin down the road.

Sunburns in kids are more than a bad afternoon. A history of sunburn doubles the chance of getting melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer. Studies now show that sunburns in childhood directly raise the risk of skin cancer later in life. Kids are more at risk because their skin is thinner and burns more easily. Up to half of a person’s total sun exposure happens before age 20. That means the habits we build now matter more than most parents know. Here in Texas, the sun is strong almost all year, so this is not just a summer problem.

Some parents worry that sunscreen blocks vitamin D or that applying it every two hours is too hard. But kids can get plenty of vitamin D from food and a daily vitamin. A few minutes of sun during the day is very different from hours at a pool party without protection. The goal is not to keep kids inside. It is to stop burns because burns are the real sign of skin damage.

The good news is that protecting your child’s skin is simple. Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher before going outside. Reapply every two hours or right after swimming or sweating. For young kids, mineral sunscreens with zinc oxide are a great option because they are gentle on the skin. Hats, sunglasses and light long sleeves help too. Try to play outside before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m., when the sun is less intense. Babies under six months should stay out of direct sun, as no sunscreen is approved for them yet ^[91/].

None of these cost a lot or take much time. It just takes a habit, like buckling a seatbelt or brushing teeth. Before your next pool day or trip to the park, put the sunscreen where you will see it. Set a phone reminder to reapply. Ask your child’s doctor if you are unsure which sunscreen is best. That mother in my clinic will never forget her son’s burned shoulders. Every sunburn we stop is one less step toward skin cancer and that is worth the extra 30 seconds.

By Dr. Koral Kaplan, first-year pediatric resident at Baylor College of Medicine