Max and Mila at the Beach: A Sun Safety Guide for Kids

The purpose of this book is to educate your little one on sun safety and most importantly to continue to use these principles in your everyday lives. Melanoma is thought to occur rarely in children. However, a number ... of recent publications and our own experience clearly indicate that a profound change in the natural history of melanoma is now occurring and that melanoma, indeed, is occurring much more frequently in children and teenagers. Teaching children healthy habits at a young age and making it as common as teeth brushing and eating three healthy meals a day is imperative. The best way to prevent melanoma is to minimize exposure of your children’s skin to sunlight; the younger they are when they start practicing sun-safe behavior the greater the benefit. A single bad sunburn under the age of 20 may double the risk of melanoma; three blistering sunburns multiplies the risk by five. Minimize exposure from 10 am to 4 pm when the sun is strongest, make sure they wear protective clothing including a wide-brim hat. Sunscreens prevent less serious skin cancers but they won’t prevent melanoma if your child stays in the sun for a long time. If you use sunscreen, make sure it is waterproof, has an SPF rating of 30 or more for both UVA and UVB, is applied heavily and is reapplied every 90 minutes or less. Now is the time to take action to prevent the tragedy of melanoma from affecting your children. The first step is to learn more about it yourself. Please visit www.milesagainstmelanoma5k.org to view their resources and learn more about decreasing your family's risk. Please tell your friends and family about this book. 10% of each book sale goes towards melanoma research!