While some sun is good for us – including helping our bodies to produce vitamin D – over-exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays causes skin cancer, which is now the UK's most common and fastest-rising cancer (see box).
‘No matter your age, the best way to enjoy the sun safely and protect skin is to use shade, clothing and sunscreen,’ advises Dr Claire Knight, Cancer Research UK's senior health information manager. ‘Too much ultraviolet radiation from the sun can damage DNA. This can eventually cause skin cancer. In the UK, almost nine in ten cases of melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, could be prevented by staying safe in the sun and avoiding sunbeds.
‘Getting sunburnt just once every two years can triple your risk of melanoma skin cancer, compared with never being burnt. But avoiding the sun completely is not possible, and being outdoors in the sunshine has benefits too. So, it's important to start practising sun safety from a young age to form good habits.’
Marie Tudor, chief executive of skin cancer charity Skcin, agrees. ‘Our aim is to promote behaviour change, but this doesn't happen overnight. You’ve got to have a generational change so we’re trying to embed sun safety as soon as possible for the next generation. And that's why nursery is the absolute starting place. Nurseries need to have a sun safety policy that covers the risk of UV and educates children and parents, who are not always aware of the sun protection habits that need to be in place.’
BAN THE TAN
Tudor says there are a lot of misconceptions around sun safety, including that a tan is a sign of healthiness – when it is actually a warning sign for skin damage – and that sun cream is only needed on sunny days or when it is hot. Sun cream also needs to be reapplied during the day. It is advised to apply it 20 minutes before going into the sun and at least every two hours after that. It should also be noted that people with all skin types are susceptible to skin damage from the sun.
Knight adds that, in the UK, the sun can be strong enough to cause sunburn from mid-March until mid-October. ‘Checking the UV index on the weather forecast before children head outside can be a useful way to determine if sun protection measures might be needed,’ she says. ‘The sun can be strong, even on cloudy days. A UV index of 3 (sometimes written as medium) or more can be enough to cause damage in some skin types, so sun safety measures need to be considered. Sunscreen should be a last line of defence for parts of the body that can't be covered with clothes. Parents and staff should look for sunscreen with at least SP15 and four or five stars. Sunscreen should be applied generously and regularly.’
Tudor emphasises the importance of never allowing skin to burn. ‘Just one incidence of skin blistering from the sun before adolescence doubles a person's chances of getting skin cancer later in life,’ she warns. Skcin promotes ‘the five Ss’ of sun safety to early years settings:
- Slip on clothing – the first line of defence from UV.
- Slop on sun cream.
- Slap on a broad rimmed hat.
- Slide on quality sunglasses.
- Shade from the sun whenever possible.
It is also important to drink lots of water during warm weather to guard against dehydration.
SUN SAFE POLICY
Skcin has developed the Sun Safe Nurseries accreditation scheme (see Further information) with the aim of preventing skin cancer through educating children, practitioners and parents. The free scheme introduces key sun safety messages to children through songs, stories and activities, along with positive role modelling from adults and support to draft and implement a sun safe policy, including providing shaded areas for outdoor play.
Nurseries are encouraged to renew their interactive three-step accreditation each year to ensure that the sun safety messages continue to be shared with children, parents and new staff members.
‘The scheme has proved hugely popular with positive feedback from nursery settings who believe that pre-school children are grasping the ideas presented,’ says Tudor. ‘Implementing a Sun Safe policy will ensure that pre-school settings are adequately equipped to protect children from over-exposure to UV during school hours and through education can help evoke a culture change and shift in attitude towards sun safety that will help reverse the soaring rates of skin cancer for our future generations and those to come.’
CASE STUDY: Buttercups Nursery School in Huntworth, Somerset
‘Last year was so hot and we had to adapt a lot of our practice, so to be prepared for this summer we have gained Skcin Sun Safe Nurseries accreditation,’ says owner and manager Nicola Holman.
‘It was reassuring to find that we already met many of the requirements; for example, we check the UV index each morning so we know how long it is safe for children to be in the garden for and what clothing they should wear.
‘Having the accreditation backs up our sun safety policy so it does not just look like I’m preaching when, for example, parents say their child does not need sun cream reapplying during the day because they’ve already got it on. We share sun safety information with parents and talk to children about it. If the UV index goes up to seven or eight then we stay inside for most of the day.
‘We find covering up is the strongest method of protection, so children wear long sleeves, instead of having bare shoulders, and floppy hats. We ask parents to pay £10 a year towards a generic factor 50 sun cream, which we have in accessible dispensers on the wall, which encourages children to gain independence supported by staff. Concerned parents can try a tester pot at home, but, touch wood, I’ve only got one parent saying they’ll be sending their own sun cream this year.
‘We have sun sails over some of the outdoor area. There are sheds and play houses children can go into and we also put up gazebos to provide extra shade.’
Skin cancer statistics
- Skin cancer is the UK's most common and fastest-rising cancer.
- One in every three cancers diagnosed is skin cancer.
- One in four men and one in five women will develop non-melanoma skin cancer.
- One in 36 men and one in 47 women will develop melanoma (the deadliest form of skin cancer).
- Melanoma is disproportionately high in young adults and is the biggest killing cancer in 15- to 34-year-olds.
- Around 90 per cent of all skin cancers are caused by damage from UV rays, making the disease almost entirely preventable.
- If detected and diagnosed in its early stages, 98 per cent of all skin cancers are treatable or curable.
- Over the last 25 years, rates of melanoma have risen faster than any other common cancer in the UK.
FURTHER INFORMATION
- Check the UV index at: www.metoffice.gov.uk/uv
- Sun Safe Nurseries accreditation: www.sunsafenurseries.co.uk