South Australian parents and carers are being reminded about the risks of sun damage as instances of young patients with severe sunburn increase.
The Burns Unit at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital has seen a spike in children needing to be treated for severe sunburn.
Prevention is always the best cure and with the weather heating up this weekend it’s important to protect yourselves and keep your children safe in the sun.
- Wear a hat, loose clothing and sunglasses
- Keep fluids up
- Seek shade or shelter
- Apply 30+ sunscreen regularly to all exposed skin
- Avoid going out during the hottest part of the day (between 10am – 4pm)
If your child does suffer mild sunburn:
- Keep fluids up to prevent dehydration and heat-related illness
- Have a cool bath or shower
- Use a non-irritant moisturiser such as Sorbelene or DermaVeen
- Wear loose, light clothing which won’t irritate the skin – avoid tight-fitting and scratchy fabrics
- Take a mild pain relief like Panadol or Nurofen
Seek medical attention immediately if a sunburn is badly blistered, a child is showing signs of dehydration, or pain is unable to be managed with mild pain relief.
Quotes attributable to Women’s and Children’s Hospital Burns Advanced Nurse Consultant, Linda Quinn
The majority of patients we treat for sunburn are often in a lot of pain and have first degree burns, which require ongoing frequent painful dressing changes.
Unfortunately, this means children miss out on many of the fun activities of the summer as they can no longer go swimming or play at the beach due to the burns.
The best protection is to avoid exposure to the sun during the hottest part of the day between 10am and 4pm but whenever outdoors, a 30+ sunscreen should be applied to exposed skin. Remember to protect ears, noses, lips, and the tops of feet which often go unprotected.
Infants and young children have very sensitive skin and poor temperature control so can burn easily. Babies less than 12 months of age should not be exposed to the sun at any time and they can even burn through light cloud cover.
