Parents, make sure you dose yourself in suncream this summer as well as your kids

I apply a 50SPF before I go out every time with Emily, whether I’m just popping to the shop, meeting a friend or going out for the day with Sam. Emily gets dosed in her suncream to make sure her delicate skin doesn’t burn in the summer heat. But whilst I’ve gone to through every step and precaution, I have, on occasion, forgotten to apply the same rules to myself. Living by the sea, especially in the summer means the sun can be vicious and harmful for our skin.

In Ramsgate, we can get a lot of sunshine. Although Ramsgate’s weather can differ to the rest of Thanet (if you don’t believe me, you must check it out yourself one day), the sun can go from one extreme to the next. Popping to the shops can be one sweat fest for me alone, so making sure that we’re covered in suncream is a definite must for anyone who leaves the house. Whatever the strength just slap it on.

The heat of the sun affects our endocrine system – the part of our body which secretes endorphins – the natural chemicals in our body designed to make us feel relaxed and less stressed. Sun has its benefits for our skin and does sometimes help with my psoriasis, but not as much as I would like.

Last week we were at the park and I saw kids running around, some as young as two, with no protective skincare or clothing to protect them from the stinging rays of the sun. For me as a parent, as an adult seems like madness to me. What’s a few minutes of your time to add some suncream to your children’s skin to protect them from harmful rays? Just because we’re not in Spain, Dubai or Miami doesn’t mean the weather in England can’t harm us. I’ve suffered from horrific sunburn in Thailand and that is not something I’d ever want to be repeated. Although a different level of sunshine, I still stupidly fell asleep in the sun without any suncream on and I suffered the consequences from it. Many people think they don’t need sunscreen on overcast days or for brief stints in the sun, but for the ultraviolet rays that damage your skin, a little cloud cover means nothing. UV light penetrates clouds with ease, so you need protection even on cloudy days.

Sunscreen should be worn for these reasons:

1. The ozone layer is depleting and your body, however old you are, needs shielding from harmful rays. Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not happening.
2. Skin cancer rates are on the rise and sunscreen has proven to decrease the development of skin cancer.
3. It helps to prevent facial brown spots and discoloration and helps to reduce the appearance of facial red veins and blotchiness.
4. It slows down the development of wrinkled, premature ageing skin.