Summer is a great adventure for children. Lots of outdoor games and visits to the beach and swimming pool should not be missed. Proper protection of the skin against the sun is very important, but it is not easy to correctly estimate when it is time to reapply the sunscreen and to get out of the sun permanently. Especially when you’re having fun! A useful instrument for this is the UVSunSense Wristband: a wristband that measures exposure to UV light and uses colors to indicate when you should reapply sunscreen or go out of the sun.
UVSunSense Wristband
- The danger of the sun for children’s skin
- How long can a child be safely in the sun?
- Help with timing the application with the UVSunSense Wristband
The danger of the sun for children’s skin
Sun is good for the skin. When the skin comes into contact with UV light , it activates all kinds of processes in your body. This produces melanin and vitamin D and makes your skin thicker to provide extra protection against radiation. However, the sun can also have many negative effects. This means that you dehydrate extra quickly when exposed to the sun, so you have to make sure you drink enough water. It can also affect your DNA, which can cause skin cancer.
Because children’s skin is still growing, it is extra vulnerable to exposure to UV radiation. Anyone who burns frequently as a child has an increased risk of cancer later in life. It is therefore very important to properly protect children against this by using sunscreen.
How long can a child be safely in the sun?
How long you can safely stay in the sun without burning depends on your skin type and the sun’s strength. Skin types are classified into four categories. By doing a simple skin type test you can find out what skin type your child has. A number is associated with this type.
- Skin type 1 = 60
- Skin type 2 = 100
- Skin type 3 = 200
- Skin type 4 = 300
The sun’s strength is calculated daily by the KNMI. This can be found, among others, on NOS Teletext page 708.
- 1-2 = almost no sun power
- 3-4 = weak sun power
- 5-6 = moderate sunlight
- 7-8 = strong sun power
- 9-10 = very strong sun power
Calculation example
To calculate how long your child can safely play in the sun, divide the number that corresponds to your skin type by the sun strength of that day. For example, if your child has skin type 3 and the sun is strong that day (8), then your child can spend 200: 8 = 25 minutes in the sun during the hottest part of the day (between 12:00 and 15:00). without burning. However, it is better to be on the safe side and apply proper sunscreen from the start.
Help with timing the application with the UVSunSense Wristband
As a parent you naturally want to enjoy the sun and you don’t want to have to keep track of when you have to look for your child again with a stopwatch. The UVSunSense Wristband can help with this. This wristband has been specially developed to measure exposure to UV light and changes color when you have to reapply or go out of the sun for good. The UVSunSense Wristband is
white in color when you first put it on . The idea is to start applying sunscreen immediately before your child goes outside for the first time. Also apply some sunscreen to the wristband. Upon first contact with sunscreen of at least factor 15, the strap turns dark purple . If it has now turned light purple and the text on the strap is no longer legible, this means that it needs to be reapplied. You can simply instruct your child to report to you when the band turns light purple. If the band turns light yellow over time , this is a sign that you have had your maximum sun exposure for the day and it is time to seek shade.
The straps can be used once. So after a day they must be thrown away. The UVSunSense Wristbands are sold in packs of seven: one for each day of the week.
read more
- Which sunscreen factor do I need?
- SPF: What does this say about your sunscreen?
