Sunset Beach on North Shore Hawaii 720x360A couple of years ago I discovered a white spot on my lower lip. It turned out to be squamous cell carcinoma, a skin cancer, and I had to have a Mohs surgery to remove it—and thank God it’s all gone. After that incident I’ve become a proponent of SPF 50 sunscreen and regular checkups with a dermatologist. In fact, I met with mine the other day and asked what Natalie and I should do about baby Jack since we’d heard that babies under six months shouldn’t wear sunscreen.

He said that it is true, but that we should be keeping him out of the direct sunlight, period. He also said that he cringes when he sees parents pushing a baby stroller covered by a blanket or an umbrella with the baby’s two little feet exposed to the sun. And he said that if you can’t keep your baby out of direct sunlight, you should absolutely put sunscreen on them.

Obviously, it’s best to check with your doctor/dermatologist. But this is what my doctor recommends and I wanted to pass it on.

 

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1 Comment On "How Parents Can Help Prevent Babies from Getting Skin Cancer"
  1. decode|

    I suppose it depends very much on the type of skin the parents and child has but regardless of that you should never bring your baby or toddler to the beach during the hottest times of day. Seeing parents do that is what really freaks me out especially when they’re on holidays (say a Brit going to the beach in Spain).
    In hotter climate countries you should really only go in the very early mornings and late afternoons. Still then should you use baby or toddler safe sun cream to protect them.
    Not using suncream and going anywhere near the hottest time of day is extremely damaging to anyone’s skin let alone the smaller ones.

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