Round Town: Local News Benidorm, Alfaz, Altea.

But whilst some of us adults, if we’re honest, have a hard time sticking to factor 30, thankfully, most of us realize the need to protect our children which shows huge progress as medical studies show that 80% of our lifetime exposure to the sun takes place before we reach the age of fifteen. So to protect their young skin throughout these crucial years is even more important than protecting our own, where most of the damage has already been done.

Here’s some basic rules to follow for a sun safe holiday; after all, too much sun can also provoke immediate ailments that can ruin the holiday for the whole family.

1. Apply sunscreen as soon as you reach the beach and every two hours thereafter*.
2. Use hats, especially on the kids, not only does it filter rays to our head helping to avoid those after- the- beach headaches, they also give invaluable eye protection.
3. Put a t-shirt on the children for extra protection since neck and shoulders are the most frequently burned areas on kids and remember, infants under six months old should not be in the sun at all.
4. Take a leaf out of the local’s book and respect the hours of ‘siesta’. Even if you don’t feel like sleeping in the afternoon, stay out of the harsh midday sun between the hours of 12 and 4pm.
5. If you’re determined to stay all day, take an umbrella and encourage the children to play under it.
6. Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes against the sun’s powerful rays and reduce after sun headaches, children too. As well as making them look cute they will help protect their young eyes against cataracts in later life.
7.  Last but not least, drink plenty of still, non-chilled bottled water. Sunstroke takes hold very quickly and is often a result of dehydration, especially in children. Remember, if the kids are playing in a pool, because their mouth is wet, they won’t feel thirsty so it’s up to you to keep them ‘topped up’.

Prickly Heat

Prickly heat can affect any of us but is generally more common on fairer skin and symptoms include a mild red rash which is extremely itchy. A simple anti- histamine cream will relieve the itching but once you’ve got it you have to stay out of the sun unless you want it to get worse.

Sunstroke

Sunstroke again can affect anybody but is most common in young children and the elderly. Symptoms start with a headache and progress rapidly to include a high fever, diarrhoea and sometimes vomiting.

Both ailments can often be prevented by simply taking things slower. In the case of the sun, less is most definitely more, so take it easy on the first day, use the shade and drink plenty.

* We need some sun

Recent studies have shown that we maybe over protecting our skin which does need approximately 15 minutes of daily exposure to the suns rays in order to top up our levels of vitamin D, vital for healthy bones. So common sense seems to be the order of the day. If you’re planning on hitting the beach straight after breakfast, let the kids play for a few minutes without sunscreen to enable their little bodies to absorb the goodness that the sunshine has to offer and then protect them from its dangers with a high factor sunscreen.